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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I 



Chap. .^[?.A-2L5-. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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THE 



QUODDY HERMIT: 



CONVERSATIONS AT FAIRFIELD 



RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION. 






yr. c 



BOSTON : 
PRINTED BY S. N. DICKINSON, 52 WASHINGTON STREET. 

1841 



ADDRESS. 



Reader : My friend Academicus has prevailed on me 
to read these " Conversations " over, which he says he 
means to publish, rather by way of introduction to more 
elaborate matter, in which he intends to treat of that all- 
absorbing subject, 

THE APPROACH 

or 

OUR LORD'S KINGDOM, 

OR HIS 

PERSONAL REIGN ON EARTH. 

In this view and prospect, I think these Conversations 
good, so far as they go. By thinking people, they will 
be read with advantage. 

Wm. Fitzwilliam, 

of Fairfield. 



CON VERS ATIONS AT FAIRFIELD, 



TOUCHING THE POINTS, ON WHICH DIFFERENT RELIGOUS 
OPINIONS NOW EXIST, THUS CAUSING THE DIVISION OF 
CHRISTIANS INTO VARIOUS SECTS. THESE CONVERSA- 
TIONS ARE DESIGNED TO SUGGEST MEANS FOR RE- 
STORING THE SAID SECTS TO UNITY OF SPIRIT AND THE 
BOND OF PEACE, AND AS FAR AS MAY BE, TO MUTUAL 
CONSISTENCY OF PRACTICE. 



The parties were all Laymen. 

The Hermit of Fairfield, in North America. 

Theophilus, Rusticus, Academicus, and others occasionally. 



Introduction at the house of the Hermit, in the Village of 
Fairfield, Maine. 

FIRST CONVERSATION. 

Hermit. To whatever accident I may owe your visit, 
Gentlemen, I am glad to see you, and you are the more 
welcome, as, by your appearance, I perceive you are 
strangers to these wild parts of the world. I am told by 
neighbor Freeborn, who directed you here, because you 
appeared to have no business but amusement, that 
you seemed to be great travellers : if so, I shall be over- 
paid by your conversation for such petty offices of hos- 
pitality as, by God's blessing, I may be enabled to ren- 
der you. 

Theophilus. Your neighbor has rightly informed you ; 
my friend Rusticus, and Academicus. and myself, have 
been engaged some time, in visiting for information, to 
increase knowledge, different parts of Europe ) and ifyou 
still take any interest in this world's affairs, whilst your 
neighbors seem to think you are preparing to leave it, 
we shall be glad to give such an account of ourselves as 
may increase your interest in us. 
1* 



But for my part, and I think my friends also partici- 
pate in the feeling, I have a more selfish object. We 
hope rather to engage you to give us the advantage of 
your great reputed experience, which, we are told, you 
are never unwilling to impart in social conversation ; 
indeed, this was the main purpose of our seeking an in- 
troduction to you, rinding no accommodation for travel- 
lers in your village. Our only object in travelling is to 
improve our knowledge, for which purpose we have 
assumed the travelling names by which we have intrud- 
ed ourselves on your notice. We have lately landed on 
this Continent, and desire to make this land of freedom, as 
it is called, the theatre of our researches ; and princi- 
pally, in the first instance, we desire to observe the 
working of Religion here, where in spiritual matters you 
are free as air, and seem to be divided into as many 
sects as individuals ; to observe its effects on social in- 
tercourse, when perfectly freed from the shackles of 
ancient institutions, and of spiritual despotism, or 
priestcraft ; and we have seized with avidity the occasion 
which the chapter of accidents, or rather of God's 
Providence, has furnished for making your acquaintance, 
who, we are told, have been all the world over, and have 
not left England, many years, for settlement in these 
wilds t 

If, therefore, our company will not be burdensome, we 
would gladly avail ourselves of your hospitality, a lib- 
erty we should not have been bold enough to take, did not 
your neighbors say you are generally delighted with 
such chance visits of people from the old country. 

Rusticus. It is very true, Mr. Hermit, this is our 
only excuse. But we hear that you declare it is one of 
the greatest kindnesses you can receive in this out-of- 
the-way place, to be visited by intelligent persons, who 
have no worldly business with you. We boast no ex- 
traordinary intelligence, but have no business of a 
worldly nature with any one, beyond the usual observ- 
ances in human intercourse, and we are too glad to take 
advantage of such good people when we can ; and we 
feel ourselves bound to make ourselves agreeable and as 
little burdensome as possible, for we are told, you will 
not accept any other consideration. Will our company, 
Mr. Hermit, for one week, too much incommode you ? 

Hermit. Far from it, my friends ; whoever may have 
done me the kindness to report my sentiments, have 
fairly done so. Therefore assure yourselves, that to me 



you will be welcome for as long as you can make it 
agreeable to yourselves; our habits will lay you under 
no restraints by day ; my disposable time for social con- 
versation on any subjects not common-place, is after 
family worship, when the rest of my family have retired. 
From ten o'clock until three in the morning, 1 general- 
ly am quite free to amuse myself with my books : at nine 
in the morning we meet to worship and breakfast; We 
dine at four, and assemble for tea in the evening, about 
seven o'clock. If these our habits are agreeable to you, 
you are welcome as long as you please. 

Academicus. In offering my most sincere thanks for 
your proffered hospitality, I have to assure you, that 
your habits are too congenial to those which 1 acquired 
at college, not to be perfectly agreeable to me; and in 
this land of frost and snow, where are no philosophical 
rural retirements, no summer-houses, grottoes, arbors, 
parks, lawns, &c. &c. which sound well in song — Here, 
I say, my companions will, with me, delight in the com- 
fortable evening room, good log-fire, and a social com- 
panion, particularly one whose travels and experience 
promises to furnish a continued repast of mental varie- 
ties. 

Hermit. I know not that I can furnish any delicacies 
in this way, but trust you will have brought some stores 
of this sort with you, on which 1 may draw freely. I re- 
peat, we dine at four, for an hour; tea and a family rub- 
ber 'till nine, scripture reading and worship until ten, 
w T hen I shall be your humble servant until two or three 
o'clock. So good day for the present ; it is not yet noon, 
you will have time to look round you. 

Theofhilus. These habits are indeed somewhat ex- 
traordinary for this part of the world. Our Hermit is 
certainly, neither a fanatic, an ascetic, nor a recluse ; we 
were indeed led to imagine that he was somewhat of an 
enthusiast. It does not seem so, and our prospect is by 
so much the more agreeable. 

Academicus. Let us then arrange, to make the most 
profitable use of our time. 1 purpose to engage our host 
to give us some account of the different religions and 
superstitions he has noticed. Are we agreed that this 
shall be our first subject of conversation? 

Theophilus and Rusticus. Quite agreed. 

The day having passed as such days usually do, about 
ten in the evening, Academicus, Rusticus, and Theophi- 
lus, found themselves seated in a small room, the table 



8 

furnished with cigars, whiskey and water, the chimney 
with a good log-fire, and the room with various maps, 
and some books, evidently chosen from a larger collec- 
tion. 

Academicus. Truly our good old host, as you said, 
Theophilus, is no ascetic, nor misanthropist, but seems 
to have lived in the world, and to think it no sin to use 
God's good gifts, without abusing them, and with thank- 
fulness. Altogether, this little snuggery, so furnished, 
puts me quite in mind of mine at college, so that I feel 
myself quite at home. 

Theophilus. It is indeed very comfortable, and the 
old gentleman's welcome seems as free and familiar to 
him, as if it were an e very-day scene, and not at all to 
put him out of his way, and leaving us quite at liberty 
to pursue our own. Rusticus, put another log on the fire ; 
the whole scene invites us to feel ourselves at home and 
to make ourselves comfortable. 

Rusticus. Yes, Academicus and I are quite prepared 
to show offour learning, if the cigars and whiskey do not 
make us forget our lesson. But I hear the Hermit com- 
ing ; having set his house in order, 1 suppose he retires 
here to hold conversation with his forefathers and our's. 
1 fear he will not find his present companions quite so 
sage. 

Hermit. Now, gentlemen, I am at your service (seat- 
ing himself. ) Every day with me is much like his im- 
mediate ancestor as possible, therefore you will have 
discovered, whether a few succeeding ones so spent will 
repay you for the sacrifice. Is there any thing else that 
you may require before you go to bed ? for although 1 sit 
up, myself, late, yet my servants retire to bed immedi- 
ately after evening prayers. 

Theophilus. We have every thing we can desire, 
Mr. Hermit, we thank you. I perceive by the books 
around the room that you converse much with Christian 
fathers. These new editions of them by the Oxford di- 
vines, are very creditable to them. You have perhaps con- 
sidered the system of divinity which in their tracts they 
seem to advocate with much sincerity, piety, and learn- 
ing. They have drawn upon themselves much animad- 
version and vituperation ; to me it seems that they merit 
more* consideration and charitable feeling, if not grati- 
tude, although I am hardly prepared to give myself into 
their hands without some reserve ; the school in which 
my name-sake and reputed ancestor was instructed by 



Luke, the blessed physician and amanuensis to Paul, so 
far as I can judge, would hardly be recognized in their 
teaching, which seems to affect nothing earlier than the 
fourth century, and savors strongly of the philosophic 
gnosticism, absurd mummery, and factitious chastity and 
ceremonial sanctimoniousness, borrowed from Paganism, 
in those early days. But I should much like to hear your 
opinion of them, for by the volume in my hand, 1 per- 
ceive you have read them. 

Hermit. In days of old, before the art of writing 
was common, adventurers and travellers are said to have 
met on the great theatre of the world, much as we do 
here, under divine and providential guidance. On such 
occasions, as the first element of rational conversation, 
was some knowledge of each others' characters and pur- 
suits, by which alone they could become qualified for such 
entertainment by familiar conversation, so they were said 
in general to have introduced themselves to each other 
by some compendious account of themselves and their 
adventures. Before this customary sacrifice of olden 
days has been offered, you have, by the very abruptness 
of your demand for my judgment on the most impor- 
tant subject which can engage a man's faculties, rather 
startled me. My opinion of the Oxford tracts does not 
so much differ from the same conclusions you seem to 
have come to, as now to require from me any further re- 
mark on them at this time, but 1 shall desire very much 
to discuss, in the course of our conversations, any par- 
ticular doctrines they may appear to set forth. But not 
to evade your question altogether, even now, I may state 
in general, that their object seems to be, to impose a 
heavy yoke of spiritual despotism on us; against which, 
as evils, or methodisms of the devil, it is desirable for 
the furtherance of the gospel purposes, and true relig- 
ion, that every Christian should guard himself against, 
and offer unceasing prayer to our Lord to avert. Ro- 
manism is a despotism of the spirit of Satan. Method- 
ism is establishing a dominion over the minds of her vo- 
taries, began, as Romanism did, perhaps, in the pure 
spirit of the Lord, and to me seems likely to end in a 
similar despotism ; and we ought the more to be on our 
guard against it, as being specially warned by Paul in 
Ephes. vi, 11, thus : " Put on the whole armor of God, 
that ye may be able to stand against the methodisms of 
the devil." You will observe the word which I have 
called " methodisms" is in our translation wiles ; in the 



10 

Greek it is methodias, which I call methodisms. The 
French translate it embuches, meaning snares, or am- 
bushes. The Portuguese make it astutas citadas, or cun- 
ning snares or ambushes. 1 think these tracts among 
these methodisms. I am not prepared, however, for a 
detailed examination of them ; and pray, Theophilus, is 
it not somewhat unreasonable to draw so heavy a bill at 
sight, on the acquaintance of an hour? 

Theophilus. In truth, good host, it is — and in ex- 
cuse I can only plead the disease of this country, curi- 
osity, unbounded by European delicacy in the choice of 
subjects, however personal they may be, or whether em- 
bracing subjects which strangers seldom venture on, 
even on the notions we may have on religion. But, in 
truth, we had been preparing ourselves for a subject 
deeply interesting to us all, but hardly knew how to 
come at it in regular course of conversation, which might 
perhaps lead very wide of our mark ; 1 came to the sub- 
ject, as it seemed fairly to suggest itself by the character 
of the books around us. But I observe by the few re- 
marks you have made, that before you offer any obser- 
vations of your own, you would be introduced to your 
new acquaintance, and know so much of each of us as 
may furnish you means of avoiding such remarks as 
might offend our particular prejudices, supposing that as 
all men seem to have some such, so we may — and I 
thank you for the means you have furnished me to make 
fair amends for my first inconsideration, which your easy 
and unstudied manner of meeting our wishes, and in- 
deed forestalling them, has rather betrayed me into, for I 
could hardly fancy myself a stranger to you, and almost 
imagined we had been acquainted with each other all our 
lives. 

To meet a suggestion of yours, founded on the cus- 
toms of bygone days, I will, without further preface, 
give you a short account of myself, which I do the more 
willingly, as a tribute to the frank and truly hospitable 
manner in which you have received us. Not that we 
can encourage you to hope for the scripture reward sug- 
gested as a reason for hospitality to strangers, " That 
some of old have thus entertained angels unawares." 
Such however as your guest Theophilus is, he will en- 
deavor to tell you in as few words as may be. 

Whether my ancestor were the very man of my name 
to whom Luke addressed his history of our Lord and 
the apostles, 1 cannot say, but it seems certain that in 



11 

the earliest days of the church, one of that name accom- 
panied a mission to form churches in the British isles, 
where for some centuries they seem to have flourished, 
and to have been the seats of piety and learning, and in 
one family we have a well-authenticated tradition that 
the name has been kept up in every generation, sup- 
posed to be about sixty since that time. 1 am a Welsh- 
man, and not a little proud of this my ancestry. Those 
of our name in the family, have ever been dedicated to 
the ministry of the gospel, and my studies have been 
finished with this view. Firmly persuaded myself of 
the apostolic origin of this office in our family, and no 
less so, of the evangelical purity of our doctrines, you 
will not be surprised to hear, that I am a son of the Epis- 
copal church of England, and as devotedly attached to 
her as a child to his own mother. Before I enter into 
orders, however, my father has desired that I see the 
way the gospel works in other countries of Christendom, 
and in other sects of Christians ; he has charged me to 
commune with all who profess to believe in Jesus Christ, 
as the Son of God, God over all blessed for ever, but 
carefully to abstain from all intimate intercourse with all 
such as openly deny our Lord, in this divine character, 
in all its fulness, but never to neglect communion with 
Episcopalians ; and I confess myself not a little disap- 
pointed in not finding among your very numerous meet- 
ing-houses for public worship, one Episcopalian church 
in all the northern part of this State, on this side of 
Bangor. 

My companions and myself are attached to each other 
by our pursuits being so far similar, as having for their 
end the acquisition of knowledge by our own experience. 
In religion, however, we may be said to be subject, each 
to his own views, whether the result of prejudice or edu- 
cation ; my friend Rusticus has not kept the records of 
his family quite so far back, and the legitimacy of some 
of his ancestors is more than doubted ; and Academicus, 
who disputes every thing, does not appear to have made 
up his mind to any explicit rule of faith. We have known 
each other from our youth, and are all equally desir- 
ous to study the truth, without regard to our individual 
opinions, and to debate our views when diverging wide- 
ly from each other, (when means offer for doing so 
dispassionately,) in presence of a moderator to overrule 
and guide us. Though not quite sure of Academicus' real 
faith, we all seem to agree that the gospel history is true, 



12 

and consequently that our Lord was God and man. So 
far agreed, we have travelled far, over Christendom in 
Europe ; two years have elapsed since we sat out, and 
we have not yet quarrelled once. We seize the occa- 
sion, all of us, with ardor, of enjoying your society, who 
have the reputation of being learned in the subject, and 
we do all pray you to assist us in an inquiry into the 
right means of discriminating between religion and su- 
perstition. 

Academicus. Our friend Theophilus has left Rusti- 
cus and myself, very little to say. My story shall be 
short. J am the son of a country gentleman in England, 
descended from a noble family. I declare myself to be 
in pursuit of the truth, and claim freedom to discuss all 
dogmas and doctrines, being sure the freest inquiry will 
rather serve to establish than to injure the truth, and 
Theophilus has rightly described me as floating on the 
waves of the world, questioning all opinions, and my- 
self holding none exclusively. I do not deny the truth 
of the Bible history, nor the divinity of our Lord, but I 
should like to be much better satisfied of both, by such 
arguments as are incontrovertible, which surely can be 
found, if they be the truth, and if once found, there 
could then be no room for sectarian difference. Although 
I hold myself free to think, yet am I no freethinker, in 
the usual sense of the word. My friends sometimes ac- 
cuse me of being a skeptic ; but I can assure you, Mr. 
Hermit, I am no minute philosopher, and I really have 
so poor an opinion of my own judgment, that in com- 
mon with my two friends, I hope to leave your cottage 
much wiser than T entered it, in which I feel justified by 
your own frankness and obliging easy manners, and by 
the evidence I see around me that you are used to con- 
verse with much better company. 

Rusticus. Mr. Hermit, my friends have left me little 
to say for myself. I am the son of a Scotch farmer, of 
the good old kirk — a Presbyterian by birth and educa- 
tion. I am content, so far, to take my creed on trust, 
therefore am I no five-point Calvinist. I delight, how- 
ever, to hear reasonable discussions on the peculiarities 
of all sects, and should be glad to strengthen my faith 
by reason. I find the orthodox churches here, so much 
resemble our own, that I am more at home than my 
friends, but hope, with them, to derive much instruc- 
tion from your experience and indulgence. 

Hermit. Your ingenuousness charms me, my friends, 



13 

and, as in my view also, the subject is most interesting 
to us all, and as you seem all to be on the side of truth 
and reason, I do not despair that, however we may differ 
in the beginning, we may, by the aid of reason and truth, 
agree in our profession before we part, and if so, that we 
may offer an example which may serve, in some mea- 
sure, to show the way of removing the disgusting spec- 
tacle of the thousand differing sects of christians from 
the face of Christendom, in which career there is a very 
able man now also engaged, Mr. Isaac Taylor, author of 
the successive works called the Natural History of En- 
thusiasm, Fanaticism, Spiritual Despotism, and Ancient 
Christianity ; the last is now in the course of publica- 
tion, and I hope sincerely, that the results of your expe- 
rience, all of you, but of Theophilus more particularly, 
may enable you to assist him in his reasonable, pious, 
and learned labors, when you return to our beloved 
country, blessed by God above all the nations on earth — 
the nursery of the arts and sciences, and the last asy- 
lum of true religion and liberty. I say of Theophilus in 
particular, because he has offered a remark on the Oxford 
theology, as set forth in their tracts. In ancient Chris- 
tianity they are fairly met on their own grounds, and 
with their own weapons, and are treated with the respect 
and christian love due to their learning, piety, and sin- 
cerity. Let us not, however, enter too hastily on discus- 
sion, before I have paid the debt due to you all, by giv- 
ing you such an account of the Quoddy Hermit, as may 
place us on an equal footing as to our present opinions. 
For my actual attainments, I must confess to you, that 
the best fruits of my experience are the certain know- 
ledge of my own ignorance ; with this knowledge I dare 
affect no peculiar wisdom, but have little doubt that our 
conversations may improve the little I have ; and as my 
story will be a little longer than yours, we will not begin 
it to-night. You have hardly had time to conform your- 
selves to my habits, and my time has expired ; therefore, 
if you will take any thing before you retire, pray help 
yourselves. You know your own rooms ; good night, 
may God bless you. 



14 



THE SECOND CONVERSATION. 

The three Travellers and the Quoddy Hermit. 

Hermit. My friends, I will not inquire how yoa 
have amused yourselves this day, neither how you have 
slept last night; for I presume if anything were wanting 
to your convenience, comfort or ease, within our means, 
you would speak. The mere concerns of this world I 
shall not inquire about further than may be necessary to 
enable me to fulfil the object of your travels, which, by 
your account of yourselves, has much more of a spiritual 
than temporal end in view. What you want, you will 
ask for, and if within our means to supply, we will 
gladly minister ; if not, we will say so. 

Rusticus. Your arrangements forego all our wants 
and wishes, so far as our temporal wants. We shall 
take advantage of your hospitality to ask for what we 
may require, if anything further than what already seems 
provided for, shall occur. But Mr. Hermit, we are all of 
us much impatient to hear something of a life, which 
must have been full of event, and on this subject your 
neighbors all seem entirely ignorant ; for we have in- 
quired, and have learnt nothing of your history, and but 
little of your opinions. 

Hermit. A life which may be considered as having 
attained the usual period of a man's race ; of which sixty 
years have been spent on the theatre of the great world, al- 
though the person be without renown, yet not unknown, 
must contain much that would be interesting to rehearse ; 
but our object now is confined, I conceive, to Religion 
and Superstition. My neighbors, who are used to con 
found the things for which these are the names, know 
indeed but little of my views. Nevertheless, they can 
plead no excuse for such ignorance, for I read them, or 
to such of them as choose to attend, at least two lectures 
every week, (for sometimes we have more,) from unex- 
ceptionable divines, yet so modified as to contain all 
that is expedient to explain of my peculiar opinions. I 
say all that is expedient to explain, because seeing much 
to disapprove in all religious establishments that I am in- 
timate with or know at all, I do not feel myself at liberty to 
set up my own notions against received opinions, sancti- 
fied by time and our fathers — and am too conscious of my 
own ignorance to presume to set an undue value on my 
views, or to set myself up for a teacher of some new sect. 



15 

If I were to proclaim myself so mad or so foolish, I 
should have followers enough, if I would demand pay; 
for these people look with great suspicion on any offices, 
however good and serviceable to them intended to be, 
if they are purely gratuitous. Now as I am bold enough 
to offer them the water of life freely, in the name of the 
Lord, without money and without price, and thus appear 
to set no monied value on these things, and as every 
thing here is brought to a monied standard — so these 
people at once jump to the conclusion, that what costs 
nothing is worth nothing, and cannot profit ; and there- 
fore you will not be surprised to learn, that I cannot 
boast of one disciple. And if, my worthy guests, you 
have been long enough in this hemisphere to have been 
bitten with this American mania, you will esteem but 
little, any thing you will hear from me ; for you must 
consent tohear them at no cost to yourselves but your 
patience. As mammon then has had no part in my 
speculation in morals or religion, you will be justified in 
considering as little worth, what I myself set so little 
value upon. 

Theophilus. We observed your chapel, and asked 
to what denomination it belonged — and was surprised 
that nobody seemed to know ; they called it simply the 
church, and I did hope that it was Episcopal, but some 
called it the Hermit's Church. Pray, Mr. Hermit, who 
officiates there ? 

Hermit. I fear if I were to undertake to satisfy your 
curiosity on these lesser subjects, we shall not make 
much progress with the main question, but perhaps 
having learnt the low estimate at which I value all I can 
say to you on any subject, you will be better pleased to 
limit my communications to such subjects as may have 
arrested your immediate curiosity. 

Academjcus. Not so indeed, Hermit. You must ex- 
cuse Theophilus; he found himself suddenly mounted on 
his favorite hobby, Episcopus, and he would soon have 
carried him full tilt to Rome, and perhaps have landed 
him a little out of breath at Jerusalem, and perhaps in 
the Temple itself. As to that species of hydrophobia, 
(what costs nothing is worth nothing) which is peculiarly 
American, and more particularly Down-Eastern, as we 
have been here long enough to learn, we really do esteem 
it right-down anti- English and devilish, and therefore in 
the name of all I pray you, Hermit, begin your story. 
Indeed, with the freedom of frank fellowship I would 



16 

claim oar right to it, for we have paid and you have re- 
ceived the full price set upon it by yourself. 

Hermit. You are quite right, Academicus, and there- 
fore, if it be interesting enough to keep you awake, listen. 

I am the bastard son of a man of little note, which by 
depriving me of many advantages in the way of earthly 
parentage, has given me the inestimable advantages of 
enjoying in a very marked degree the heavenly parent- 
age of God's special providence. An orphan, a bastard, 
a foundling, I have never felt the want of earthly 
parents, because God himself provided for me; I do not 
mention the broad fact of degraded and mean origin, 
with a view to uncover the nakedness of my parents ; 
but it is probable that the peculiar train of my spiritual 
research, and many the most important events of my 
life, have resulted from the accident of my illegitimate 
birth. And some really interesting reflections on the 
state of society in Christendom naturally suggest them- 
selves ; and as your ancestors, Theophilus, will, as we 
pursue our inquiry, be found, I think, to have been the 
means of introducing under the usurped authority, (as 
of our Lord,) some most grave errors, you will please to 
note this observation for abstract discussion, in its proper 
place. 

Theophilus. Certainly, Mr Hermit, I shall do so, and 
I confess, the charge you have made against my ances- 
tors does appear most grave, indeed. J have indeed been 
used to regard all their acts with filial and profound 
reverence; and to suffer any abatement of this feeling 
would cause me some pain, and much disappointment. 
Nevertheless, we are decided to bear record to the truth 
only, and my very best feelings may, from the nature of 
human affections, be tinctured by superstitious reverence 
for persons whose memory is so dear to me, which is, as 
agreed, a part of our present inquiry. 

Hermit. This item being noted for future discussion, 
let us proceed with our history. At five years of age, I 
may be said to have become conscious of my existence, 
and found myself an inmate of the artillery barracks in 
a beseiged town, and the first repast that I remember 
was off a horse's head, for our enemies had cut off all 
foreign supply of food. In this state I have been informed 
that an officer of rank met me at play on the ramparts 
with other soldier's children, and being struck with my 
features, exclaimed, " That's a boy of my friend Lamb, 
I'll swear. What 's your name?" " Will !" " What 



17 

else?" " I don't know — but if you want to know you may 
ask in the barracks ! Mother can tell you !" This I have 
on the authority of the same officer, with whom I found 
myself embarked next day on board a frigate — and then 
learnt, that I really iiad had an earthly father, an officer 
also, but he was dead — and that I nad parted with my 
mother never again to hear of her. Thus early in life 
I found myself without parents, and now cannot but 
see and gratefully acknowledge the extraordinary 
providence by which friends were raised to supply the 
place of earthly parents. The ordinary providence of 
God Almighty is I believe almost universally acknowl- 
edged, but the extraordinary or special providence which 
is exemplified in particular individuals of our race, — [ 
think in all — is often considered as a superstitious notion, 
which therefore will fall under our notice for discussion. 
About this time I learnt that there was a being said to 
be in the skies, called God, and the notion I received of 
him was that represented in the picture of the fable of 
Hercules and the Carter, and I was persuaded by a parcel 
of boys of my own age, once to fancy that I really saw 
such a vision, so early do impressions, whether of relig- 
ion or superstition, take possession of the young mind. 
I really cannot say at what age I obtained clearer notions 
of a spiritual world, but remember well that my first 
lesson at a public school in Scoldvale, (the then metropolis 
of North Wales,) in the Testament, was " Jesus wept," 
and at the next verse for my repetition, my span-new 
Testament was hove at my head, for being a dunce, and 
got soiled in some of the leaves, on the floor, much to 
my grief and mortification. Here I was put out to board 
with the writing-master, and almost starved; by God's 
providence a butcher's wife was raised up to save me 
from impending miserable death, and at seven years old, 
I found myself an inmate in the family of a widow, with 
five young children, a farmer, whose husband had lately 
hung himself, where the plenty of the land was before 
me. Here, by the grandmother of the house, we were 
all on bare knees made to repeat the Lord's prayer every 
night at eight, o'clock, and were then dismissed to bed 
for twelve hours. The course of instruction at this place, 
called Bridge-ford, was that of a common parish day- 
school, where the cost for each was one shilling for 
a quarter of a year, and sixpence for winter's fires. Here 
I was taught to say the Catechism and learn some Col- 
lects by rote, — to attend church regularly, read the 
2* 



18 

alternate verses in the Psalms, and all Orthodox christian 
teaching, — and once or twice was subjected to public 
catechising during Lent, in one year. But no pains 
whatever were taken to instil into my mind any sane, 
spiritual instruction, so that my mind was left to satisfy 
these cravings, as natural to humanity as those ior food, 
to the superstitious legends of ghosts, goblins, and 
robbers, the evening's recreations of a country lire-side ; 
but of the wholesome truths of the Gospel I never heard 
but in church — except now and then in some good old 
trite religious maxim, which the good widow put forth 
to teach us wisdom. Whilst here, I became a prey to 
a scrofulous disease — the supposed result of a sudden 
transition from starvation to plenty, which lasted seven 
or more years. My friend, the officer, who recovered 
me when lost and unknown, rather attributed this disease 
to a visitation of God, for the licentiousness of my fa- 
ther. It seemed, however, rather inherent in the family 
of my mother. These opinions have a relation to the 
subject in hand, and therefore I trust Academicus will 
note those points for discussion hereafter. I hope, my 
friends, I am not tedious, but it seemed necessary to trace 
out the course, by which [ have attained to my knowl- 
edge, which no doubt you will find as shallow as the 
means of acquiring it were simple. 

But I must not omit one circumstance that occurred 
when about ten years old, as marking the extent of my 
spiritual attainments at that age. I shall not take up 
your time here, by moralizing on the events of my youth. 
I relate now only the facts, without remarking on those 
properties of human nalure, which in our earliest years 
develope themselves for good or for evil. An insatiable 
desire to pry or look into hidden or secret things, called 
curiosity, first caused the fall of man ; and in the children 
of man, this propensity is inherent. All that I could 
know at ten years old of the spiritual world, was acquired 
in the method of vague, vagrant, old women's fables and 
legends ; for although I read at school some parts of the 
Bible as they occurred in my lessons, I neither under- 
stood the language, nor the object of those readings. So 
also I heard sermons at church, joined in the service, 
and knew the forms of proceeding in worship. Yet was 
I almost in utter ignorance f a spiritual world — except 
as a subject which always occasioned awe and dread, 
whenever mentioned. No minister of religion, no, nor 
any person whatever, ever spoke of God's government of 



19 

this world, o£hell, death, the devil, ghosts and angels, or if 
they did, they spoke of them as of secret things, hidden 
mysteries, not to be spoken of — and by none understood. 
Amonor the old women's fables, 1 had heard of raising 
the devil ; of some fool-hardy people who made bargains 
with him — how he was to be cheated, how 'defied — 
that he could not come to us if we repeated the Lord's 
prayer ; nor could he enter into a church. How it en- 
tered into my heart, I know not — but once on a time 
at church-, with a maid-servant, it occurred to me that I 
would puzzle the devil, by saying the Lord's prayer 
backwards, which 1 had been told was the way to raise 
him, for I supposed he could not come into church. 
But still, as I had been told the prayer itself could not 
be said backward, without being very wicked, which I 
was by no means disposed to be considered — therefore, 
looking at the end of the Psalms, for the Pater-noster in 
verse, I did mentally read it over in backward order, 
word by word, until within a very few words of its 
beginning, when suddenly I was possessed — the blood 
rushed to my face, and such a feeling came over me, as 
I cannot describe. This was what I did not expect ; I 
did indeed look towards the church door with soriie 
fear, lest 1 should see some horned being peep in, to 
show that he had come at my bidding, and to await me 
when out of church. I need hardly say, I never did 
complete the charm, nor was I ever bold enough to 
presume so to trifle with holy things, after. It is very 
strange that, for some years after, I never could read, or 
indeed, look on the Pater-noster in verse, at the end of a 
prayer-book, but the same feeling overcame me ; I can- 
not say how many years, but now believe five or six. 
When the church service was over, I was in great 
dread ; I expected the devil was waiting for me at the 
door, and God knows how closely 1 clung to the petti- 
coats of the maid for fear, as we issued from the old 
porch of the church. How I may have attempted to 
make my peace with God for this presumptuous wicked- 
ness, I do not exactly remember ; but believe I repeated 
very soon, and often, the Lord's prayer the right way, and 
certainly with faith in its efficacy to undo any satanic 
spell. 

Academicus. You weie pleased, Mr. Hermit, to call 
my attention to a part of your story, relating, I suppose, 
to the visitation of the sins of the fathers on the children. 
But in truth, your whole story is most extraordinary ; so 



20 

that I shall not attempt to note a part, but the whole — 
for I never in my life heard of circumstances in real life 
more appropriate to our present question. Religion and 
superstition seem so blended here, that 1 see we shall 
with difficulty discriminate. I fear, Mr. Hermit, you 
will have to board us a month instead of a week. Why, 
let me see, you are only ten years old yet. 



THIRD CONVERSATION. 

The parties being sealed as usual before the log-jire ; the 
Hermit had not finished his cigar. The conversation 
was begun by 

Theophilus. The story of your own youth, or rather 
infancy, is so extraordinary and ultra-romantic, that for 
my part, I begin to regret, that the abstract nature of our 
subject precludes the hope of any detail of your personal 
or worldly adventures. I must confess that my curiosity 
is very much excited ; I could have interrupted you a 
dozen times to ask impertinent questions. But pray, 
kind Host, do not entirely suppress your adventures, 
for both my friends and self feel an uncommon interest 
in them. 

Rusticus. Ay! insomuch as almost to lose all relish 
for the dry moral discussion; for my own part, if beg- 
gars may be choosers, 1 would rather not lose a single 
anecdote of a life so extraordinarily begun, whether they 
may bear on the pretty theme of Academicus or not. 

Hermit. Your feeling, my friends, is quite natural; 
you are just beginning your career, in this world; — 
worldly things have the greatest charm for you — and no 
doubt, like all young people of both sexes, would delight 
in a pretty story of real life, and particularly, if it had 
something of the wonderful in it — but generally, this 
appetite is something like the hunger of young beggars; 
they swallow every thing they can get hold of, which 
never rises on their stomachs, but does its' work and 
passes into the draught of eternal oblivion. But with 
me, this day has gone by ; I am become more dainty — 
spiritual food alone has now a charm for me, because I 
feel sensibly, that we all ought to be continually pre- 
paring ourselves for -the parts which are to be allotted to 
us for eternity. This earth will, as promised, be still 
the stage or theatre — but our auditory, the intelligences 



21 

filling the broad expanse of the universe, to witness the 
glorious triumph of good over evil ; after the contest 
which has endured now for nearly the six days of the 
moral creation, or the six thousand years of the 
physical creation, — a spectacle to angels and all the in- 
telligences of the universe, angels and devils, and the 
spirits of just men made perfect, and those doomed to 
misery and wo. This world 's a stage, portraying 
materially and sensibly, scenes which either have been, 
are, or will be enacted in the spiritual world — and 1 now 
think it important to aim at qualifying myself to perform 
my spiritual part, which is real life — on the theatre 
of the broad expanse of the universe, as far exceeding in 
splendor, magnitude and magnificence, this little ball, 
as the heavens exceed the earth in magnitude, or as the 
real world, a puppet-show. 1 desire, my friends, to pre- 
pare seriously for the new birth in that world, of which 
this is but the stepping-stone. The incidents of this 
world, except in so far as they relate to that dispensation 
which is to follow, these have lost their charm, all their 
interest for me, except in so far as the religious and 
social duties, the fruition, exists only in prospect, in 
hope, and a firm faith in the blessed promises. When 
babies, we look not beyond the fountain which is ap- 
pointed to nourish animal existence ; when children, we 
have scarcely a thought beyond the doors of the family ; 
in youth, our village or our school absorb our whole 
view; as adults, we commence our wordly career, and 
it absorbs all our energies ; as men, our views take a 
wider range, more or less important; and in age our 
mind should embrace the universe and eternity. Now 
I am arrived at this point, I shall endeavor, nevertheless, 
to attend to the desires you have expressed, and shall 
occasionally, perhaps, indulge in some observations on 
education, which is nothing more than a preparation 
for performing the parts on the theatre of this world, 
w T hich are allotted to us by the Great Master-manager 
of the drama, viz. even our Lord himself : I shall en- 
deavor to proceed with my life and opinions. 

The scrofulous disorder which attached to me, ren- 
dered me a Lazarus, and I was sent for three successive 
years, seventh, eighth and ninth, to the sea-coast of 
North Wales, for two of the summer months, and in 
these journeys I learnt some particulars of my family, if 
I could be said to belong to any. I was told I had an 
elder brother ; some people called themselves my cou- 



22 

sins, and I began to discover that I had sprung from 
earthly parents. Yet before, and for some years after, 
when questioned about my father and mother, I was 
used to answer with all sincerity and simplicity, "I 
never had any," — so that I was known at school, jocu- 
larly I suppose, until 1 was thirteen, as the boy that 
never had father or mother. About ten, however, I had 
a sensible mark of the earthly preexistence of some one, 
who claimed to be my father ; for I had a suit of scarlet 
and a cocked hat, said to have been made (the suit) from 
an old coat of my father's. I learnt too, that he had 
been an officer of some renown, mutilated like Nelson, 
by the loss of an arm and an eye, and like him, as brave 
as a lion, which he bore for his arms, although his name 
was Lamb; for his crest, an uplift arm, with a drawn 
sword, in the act of striking; and his chosen motto, " In 
defence of the weakest." In wordly reputation, by all 
who knew him, he was said to have been a noble fellow ; 
but poor fellow, that arm which he had dedicated to 
heroic virtue, was severed from his body at the age of 
twenty-two or three, in the year 1759 ; a severe lesson 
in religious morals. Not a hundred years ago, he held 
a confidential situation in one of the Colonial Govern- 
ments, and then received the grant of this estate, which 
he named Fairfield. He settled it, brought from Eng- 
land a colony of seventy persons, and among others my 
mother, who bore him a son here — since well known in 
the public service; having settled his colony to his 
liking, he returned ; and about four years after, she bore 
me. My father left England on public service, whilst I 
was a baby in arms, and was killed. My cousins seized 
this property, which I have recovered from the last sur- 
vivor of them by purchase. Thus far, in compliance with 
your desires. — Hereafter it will be necessary to say little 
of my family or self — except as to our subject. At the 
period of my life to which I attained last night, I had in 
the whole a more correct notion of God's government 
of this world, by the direct agency of his providence, 
than I had some years fitter. I supposed that I had at- 
tained to more perfect knowledge, — and above all, by 
the grace of God, I was disposed by the character he had 
impressed on me, to attach myself zealously to his ser- 
vice. I really did see my dependence on him, and was 
disposed to love him with all my heart. But of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, I had no other distinct idea, than that he 
was a good man — nor did I ever hear him spoken of, 



23 

but in the church service, or in oath, or execration. It 
was never my good fortune to hear his Godhead spoken 
of, much less explained. But I have omitted an anecdote, 
bearing on our question for discussion, which I will add 
in this place. I have said my father lost his right arm. 
It was in an action with the French, and in a foreign 
country. Lord Wealthy was his brother officer, but 
serving in another part far distant. On the night he 
lost his arm, Lord W. dreamt he saw him with his arm 
off and bleeding, and exclaimed, " Bless me, what 's the 
matter, Lamb ? " My father told him the circumstances 
of the case, nearly as they occurred. There was some- 
thing in the dream peculiar, that made such an impres- 
sion on Lord W. that he told it to about sixteen of his 
brethren in arms, at breakfast next morning, and more- 
over, made a minute of it in his pocket-book. The char- 
acter of Lord W. had nothing of enthusiasm or fanati- 
cism in it. All his life he remained a gentleman of easy 
manners, and those of a man of family and fashion of 
his day ; a courtier. The connexion between him and 
my father had been one of such intimacy only, as arose 
out of their fellowship in arms and profession ; he had 
a command in this country when my brother was born; 
became with the governor, his sponsors, and knew not 
that such a being as myself was born, when he met me 
on the ramparts of a besieged town, in the colonies, as I 
have before related, and thenceforth he charged himself 
with the care of the two orphans left by my father. For- 
ty-four years after this event of the dream, I was dining 
at his table, with a set of his old friends, and it seems 
also of my father's ; adventurers in the same war of 1756 
to 1761. He was recounting stories of olden times, and I 
took the occasion to mention the story of the dream, as 
related, or rather recorded, by my father in his memoirs, 
written with his own left hand, and requested to know if 
it was correct. He was not aware, he said, that my fath- 
er had so noticed it, nor had he often mentioned it since 
the time, but it was strictly true, he assured all his old 
friends, and that he had then in his house, the pocket- 
book in which he had noted the facts. This anecdote I 
mention as being a dream, and savoring a little of what 
must fall under our consideration, as superstition or re- 
ligion, when we shall treat of these in the abstract. It 
seems now probable to me, that my whole walk in life, 
my brother's also, and that of a large family left by the 
same Lord W. in our care, have resulted from the im- 



24 

pression made by some of these and other extraordinary 
experiences. At this time such conclusions may be 
drawn from them safely, without suspicion of super- 
stition. 

Rusticus. The country of my fathers is, and has 
ever been a peculiar stage of fairy land, and these stories 
of your real life, bring me, by association, back to the 
days of my childhood, when my ears and head were 
crammed with tales of similar spiritual or fairy doings; 
and if I have any prejudice of education, it is this, that I 
believe them all, that do not embrace some manifest ab- 
surdity, and even where that may be the case, I believe 
they may be founded on some truth. 

Hermit. I rejoice that we are not all Sadducees ; and 
one remark I have made in these days of alleged infidel- 
ity and undoubted skepticism, — that those persons who 
make it matter of conscience to speak always the truth, 
never reject fair testimony on any subject. The man 
who chooses to decide in his own mind, that whatever 
appears to him unnatural, extraordinary, or out of the 
usual course of his experience, must be a delusion, or a 
wilful perversion of truth, — such a man must have such 
a spirit within him, viz: of self-delusion, and wilful ly- 
ing. But to proceed with my history, which we seern to 
be diverging from, and in some measure to be trespass- 
ing on the ground marked as a reserve. But thus far I 
beg you to bear with me, in compliance with your ex- 
pressed desires. 

At half-past ten I was placed in a school near Liver- 
pool for the benefit of sea-bathing, for scrofula. I was 
still an ulcered Lazarus. My advance in learning was 
here marked by an unheard-of rapid progress, and I 
remained at this school until twelve years old. This two 
years of my career was filled with my most extraordinary 
adventures, out of which volumes, in the taste of these 
days, might be given, and 1 doubt not but they would 
excite interest enough to be very entertaining, the sub- 
ject being known, that is, the old Hermit. But as appli- 
cable to the purpose before us, 1 shall relate only, that in 
the last half year of my residence at that school, I had 
two dreams on peculiar and unthought-of subjects, pre- 
viously ; in themselves they were of trifling import, but 
in each case J had rehearsed them to the whole school 
when at our breakfast on the morning following each 
dream, when in both cases they were strictly and literally 
fulfilled in the face of the whole twenty boys, immediate- 
ly on the close of my rehearsing them. 



25 

The circumstances were trivial and of no importance 
in themselves, so that I was puzzled much to know what 
they could mean ; for the circumstances were so strictly 
and literally predicted, as decided the communication to 
be from God Almighty. This I was convinced of, but I 
could not understand why God, who governed the whole 
world, should condescend to foretell a little school boy 
by dream, any thing at all, but particularly what appear- 
ed to me so trifling. The facts remained on my memory, 
but I believe I did not reason much on them at that time. 
Afterwards, when I turned my mind back to those 
dreams, which contained specific predictions fulfilled to 
the letter, I reasoned thus : they must have been sent 
to me by God Almighty himself, because no creature 
could know what was then to come to pass. Then why ? 
I concluded thus : I stood alone, an orphan, neglected, 
diseased, not a friend as I supposed on earth, except my 
school-master, and to him I was a stranger ; and may it 
not have pleased God to take this simple way of assuring 
me, that as I was under his eye, he regarded every thing 
about me. and would himself take care of me, as indeed 
he had hitherto almost miraculously. Having come to 
this sane conclusion, I have seen no reason to doubt its 
true end — now for fifty -five years — and I should, per- 
haps, find more pleasure in relating these things, if my 
own conduct in life had at all corresponded to such glo- 
rious patronage. 1 left that school at twelve, still a mar- 
tyr to continued imposthumes. I believed myself to be 
one of the cleverest little fellows on earth, because my 
master and fellow boys thought so. I thought myself a 
favorite of God Almighty, — presumptuous, bold, adven- 
turous, active, resolute and strong beyond my age, but a 
martyr, as I have said, to the scrofula, or King's evil. 
In my own fancy I was religious, according to form, but 
no man yet took any pains to explain any of the simple 
doctrines of our church, although our school-master was 
the curate of the parish. So I yet knew nothing of the 
real divine character of our Lord, God over all, and 
blessed for ever ; ancLof the Bible and Testament we 
knew no more than was read in church, for the school 
was a grammar school, that is, to teach Latin and Greek, 
and let English, and morals, and religion come of course. 
I shall close this part of my story, by begging Academi- 
cus to note this period, from ten to twelve, for some ob- 
servations on education, relative to pure morals; for my 
village education at Bridgeford had made an inroad on 



26 

the natural shame resulting from sexes ; little care was 
taken to preserve purity of private manners, so that de- 
cency in public were preserved; and some little profliga- 
cy was considered rather as a trait not despicable, but 
sometimes worthy of imitation, as denoting advance to 
manhood. At the last school we were of all ages, from 
eighteen to nine or ten. The elder corrupted the young- 
er, and masturbation or self-pollution was no uncommon 
vice, even among young men meant for the clergy, and 
was indeed little thought of as it ought to have been, 
in education I fear this subject is not sufficiently attend- 
ed to. 



FOURTH CONVERSATION. 

The same Parties. 

Theophilus. This winter seems to have set in ear- 
ly, and the weather may induce us all to rejoice, and be 
thankful that we are in good quarters ; to move seems 
impossible for the snow. If the days hang at all heavy 
on your hands, Mr. Hermit, we would gladly become 
your listeners for double lectures, or you will not have 
concluded them before the new year. And behold 
Christmas is not yet here — and you may wish our room, 
rather than such tame, yet costly company ; for sharp 
weather makes sharp appetites. However, we have 
determined not to interrupt you, and fear we have here- 
tofore been rather ill-mannered in this particular. Do 
pray proceed with your story. 

Hermit. 1 was despatched by horse, near two hun- 
dred miles from school, behind a profligate footman, 
myself riding on the crupper, from Scoldvale to London, 
where I was lodged with a surgeon and physician. Lord 
Wealthy, it seems, was the secret director of my destiny. 
I had never seen or heard of him after I was six years old, 
until near fourteen. I was placed in medical hands, who 
filled me with mercury and disease, and took about one 
hundred and fifty pounds of my money, of my inheritance 
from my father. And I was more than a year at a 
mathematical academy, where my progress was as re- 
markable as it had before been in classics. Here our 
religious instruction consisted in going to church to talk 
with our fingers to the girls of a school, who used the 
adjoining pew. We heard no more about religion for 
the week; and of morals we never heard a word Self- 



27 

pollution, reckless profligacy, and drunkenness, were 
objects of emulation here. I profited as might be expect- 
ed, but had a wonderful reputation, to the honor of the 
school, for my progress in learning. 

At length, in J 788, 1 embarked with my father's friend, 
Lord Wealthy, as midshipman of a line-of-battle ship, 
and thus commenced a public life, which may be said to 
have had no sensible intermission until the close of 1831, 
or forty-three years, during which 1 have served under 
every naval man of renown, and was honored by the 
particular friendship of Nelson. From the year 1797, 1 
have held commands, and been intrusted with some im- 
portant services, for the most part in remote parts of the 
world. My character, if I may be allowed to draw it 
myself, contained much of good and bad ; the latter, 
perhaps, 1 contrived to veil sufficiently not to mar my 
reputation, but by the grace of God, he has not left me 
without his spirit of self-conviction. The veil which I 
managed to interpose between my vices and the public 
view, also covered my estimable qualities; so that it is 
my belief the real character of few public men in my 
sphere have been more mistaken. My reputation for 
knowledge, talent and ability was high. The career of 
worldly ambition was fairly open to me ; but this was 
too limited a career to satisfy me; the means of attain- 
ing an uncertain celebrity and influence were commonly 
in open enmity to virtuous emulation, and depended too 
much on prejudice, corrupt favoritism, family or par- 
ty favor. Our ship had a chaplain, an old man, whose 
failings or vices bioughthim into contempt, and religion 
was a subject never spoken of, and I presume was little 
thought of; the subjects of emulation were mischief and 
drunkenness; by God's grace, religion was ingrafted in 
my nature ; it could not be forgotten. It had been fos- 
tered by simple habits, sincerely respected — going to 
church regularly and the Lord's prayer at bed-time ; but 
1 would have blushed to have been caught at even this 
simple act of worship, or to have been detected even in 
its secret exercise. 

But I was free from secret vices of any kind. Pride, 
and an extraordinary aptitude to exceed in whatever I 
undertook, spoiled me. In short, I had much of good 
and evil ; if rightly trained I could have been made any 
thing ; but no man had sufficient interest in me to un- 
dertake my proper guidance and instruction in my rela- 
tive duties to God and to society. Before I was fifteen I 
was moved to a sloop of war, where salt diet brought on 



28 

a return of scrofula ; but I never heard a word of re- 
ligion, and was still left the child of seeming chance. I 
now became acquainted with my elder brother, to whom 
Lord Wealthy had attended with the care of a parent ; 
and he repaid his care by unerring conduct. We, how- 
ever, did not serve together until I was seventeen. At 
this age the career of vicious and sensual amusements 
was the only recreation to relieve a monotonous round 
of duties, unimportant, therefore uninteresting. On 
this career, too, I entered with as much zeal and avidity 
as I Was used to display in all my pursuits, and became 
a profligate, and was chastened with disease even to the 
gates of death. By the Lord's mercy [ was spared. At 
eighteen 1 heard the famous Dr. Hawker lecture and ex- 
pound scripture. My whole soul responded, and no 
doubt if the Lord had left me in his hands I should have 
been overwhelmed with Calvinistic prejudice and error. 
My brother seemed studiously averse from spiritual and 
religious subjects, yet in worldly morals excelled, and 
was used to rally me on my religious propensity. The 
revolutionary war with France began, and in me a life of 
a modern sailor, whose amusements and recreations 
were all sensual and licentious. Indeed, seamen had no 
other resources. Unrestrained whoredom and profligacy 
was almost the necessary character of the profession, 
and I was never aware until very lately, that this system 
was among the fruits of the earliest heresies in Chris- 
tianity. Theophilus will be kind enough to note this 
for some future comment, as Nicolaitanism and doc- 
trines of Balaam, denounced as the thing which our 
Lord hates. My vices, however, were restrained by the 
seeds of religious morals, but received severe chastise- 
ment from the Lord. Still of religion I never heard a 
syllable out of church, and my opportunities w T ere not 
great. I should remark, however, that 1 had studied the 
prayer-book a little, and before I w r as eighteen reflected 
much on my own weakness and follies, yet considering 
the sin of whoredom but a venial offence, necessarily 
resulting, as indeed it does, from the state of christian 
society, and seeing no other resource, led as I believe by 
the Holy Spirit, I did secretly bewail and lament my er- 
rors, but had no confidential ear which could sympathize 
with me in any of my feelings ; but I saw no failings in 
myself but this of* licentious indulgence in sexual inter- 
course, which was necessarily indiscriminate in christian 
society not deemed of itself as very immoral. I sought the 
Lord of Life, and all sinner as I was, ventured to visit his 



29 

table, and to open my heart and mind to him, and to him 
only. I reasoned rightly. It was a positive command, 
given to all, not to the perfect only, foi even the Apos- 
tles were not then converted, but also to sinners In this 
view I commenced the christian practice of never turn- 
ing my back on the Lord's table, which by God's grace 
1 have continued ever since. Note this, my friends, for 
our projected abstract discussion must of necessity em- 
brace this subject. My knowledge of the recondite doc- 
trines and dogmas of religion were necessarily very su- 
perficial indeed. But this law which I then laid on my- 
self was, I still ttiink, most wise. Still 1 never met any 
one with whom I could commune on such subjects. I re- 
mained necessarily very ignorant, and my opportunities 
for this heart-felt religious and ceremonial communion 
were too rare to make the practice operative of all the 
good to myself that might have resulted from it. I af- 
fected, how r ever, to be knowing. I could dispute too, 
had words at command, and a good memory, with gen- 
eral views, that I still think tolerably correct. My weak- 
ness, rather say my crying sin, was in the licentious 
practice of indiscriminate sexual intercourse. I bewail- 
ed, nay despised the vice, but could not extricate myself, 
and it pleased God to manifest his long suffering towards 
me not without sensible marks of his manifest displeas- 
ure. 

When about tw T enty-one, I sailed with a captain noted 
for hypocrisy and many vices, (right or w^ronor, I cannot 
say,) but professing to be a religious man. My relations 
with him make an epoch in my life ; but I must not hero 
enter into them; they would lead us astray. One con- 
versation I shall relate as to the point in hand. In a 
conversation in my watch on deck, with a third person, 
I proffered some remark on the Paganism which still ex- 
isted in China and other parts : he remarked, that he 
wondered much that a young man w T ho seemingly knew 
so much of all religions, had not yet chosen one for him- 
self. I answered sarcastically, that men seemed to differ 
so much, that I feared by deciding too soon, I might 
make a wrong choice ; perhaps he who had lived so much 
longer, and had studied the subject, would assist me and 
recommend one. He said this was a matter which every 
man must determine for himself. But he observed, " If 
you have no religion, you should profess some form of 
it, in compliance with the customs of the world," &c, 
and he entered into an elaborate discourse, showing its 
3* 



30 

advantages as teaching us indifference to life. " But," 
says he, " how is it, Mr. Lamb, that even good men, the 
most religious, prefer life to death, and cling to life even 
though they acknowledge it to be a state of misery?" 
And he enumerated some examples. " Can you account 
for this, Mr. Lamb?" said he [ answered, that I had 
been habituated ever since I was fourteen, to think, and 
never believed that hypocrisy was necessary to religion, 
and that I believed it better to appear not to have any 
religion, than to profess a religion, having none. In short, 
I never could believe, nor had I ever^ heard that hypoc- 
risy was necessary to religion. As for the love of life, 
which most men had, I believed it might easily be ac- 
counted for, by the. old fable, a bird in hand is worth 
two in the bush. " Bless me," exclaimed he, u did ever 
any man hear such a comparison ? A bird in hand ! ! " 
And so we parted. I mention this as the only conversa- 
tion 1 ever had on ship-board on religious subjects. This 
man was my enemy. 

My vicious propensities were inordinately indulged 
for some time, rather from habit and compliance with the 
customs of the world, than from an attachment to them. 
Inlrigue I despised, but covert licentiousness was consid- 
ered rather a noble and manly privilege than vices, and 
although knowing better, 1 was never cured of it per- 
fectly until late in life. I was not married, but as is gen- 
erally the case, 1 was worse. At twenty-four I read The- 
lypthora, or Madan's Essay on Female Ruin, — an ex- 
cellent work, too little known and appreciated. He 
traced the evil to its source, but has failed to draw from 
it all the requisite conclusions in practical morals. It 
furnished me with correct views, but did not produce 
unexceptionable practice. Yet I made a sort of com- 
promise, uniting indulgence with partial responsibility. 

The almost uninterrupted nature of my public ser- 
vices left me little leisure to pursue my disposition to 
acquire spiritual knowledge. At forty-four I married; 
thought myself a tolerably religious man, but knew my- 
self to be as Reuben, unstable as water. At fifty-nine 
my worldly ambition was barred by corruption in high 
places. At sixty-one 1 became the Hermit who am now 
your host, and ready to pursue the subject of religion, 
superstition, and education as connected with them. 

Since my retirement I have read much, and I may say 
my opinions may now fairly be supposed to be decided ; 
and these needed not my account of them, since in the 



31 

course of our discussion they will necessarily be mani- 
fested. 

Academicus. Although, Mr. Hermit, you have sup- 
pressed your adventures, which indeed we should much 
like to have heard a full account of, we are not the less 
obliged; and I must acknowledge, that although they 
might not have had so decided a relation to our subject, 
yet I confess myself somewhat disappointed herein ; but 
perceive you have been more particular in the account 
of your childhood and youth, as more appropriate to the 
application of the principles that may result from our 
conversations on education. On referring to the notes 
you desired me to make, I perceive one relative to the 
very slight attention to morals, particularly as regards 
personal chastity. This deserves a particular investiga- 
tion, for I have found throughout Christendom a laxity 
and indifference to this subject, that may perhaps lay at 
the root of every evil in christian society. One instance 
I remember in Holland, where in a large grammar school, 
the master's wife had a particular lust for debauching 
every youth in the school as soon as they attained to 
twelve or thirteen years of age, and on to fifteen and six- 
teen ; and many scenes that would disgrace the nature 
of a brute, would be too disgusting to relate ; and almost 
every public school for either sex, which has fallen un- 
der my observation, has nourished the weeds of sexual 
impurity, and has laid the foundation for Balaamism and 
??icolaitanisin, as you have explained them. 1 never 
before heard the explanation of those Moabitish vices, 
which have continued to disgrace Christendom ever 
since its earliest days. It is very striking, and doubtless 
true. But in what order, Mr. Hermit, shall we consider 
the subject before us ? 

Hermit. I would propose as the first step, for I am 
more desirous to hear your observations than to offer my 
own, that you would each of you offer some descriptions 
of the different sects of christians, beginning with the 
Greek church, the Roman, the Lutheran, the Calvinist, 
the Arian, the Socinian, Arminian, Moravian, Metho- 
dists, Baptists, Quakers, <&c. &c, noting the peculiarities 
of each, with such notions as may suggest themselves 
for remedying their errors, and the most available means 
for breaking down the sectarian partitions, and bringing 
back all sects to practical unity of profession and wor- 
ship ; to note what is truly religious in each ; what su- 
perstitious, and the defects in the education of each. 
And Theophilus, as the advocate for apostolic succes- 



32 

sion, may first favor us with his observations on the 
Greek and Roman churches, as truly apostolic by suc- 
cession, as they are remote in practice. 

Theophtlus. Without further preface then. And I 
shall endeavor to confine my observations to as few points 
as possible, but those which appear to me the most es- 
sential. 1. The essential points of faith which I con- 
ceive of the first importance for any church, calling it- 
self by the name of our Lord, viz : christian. 2 To 
those points which may seem peculiar to each. 3. To 
the ministry. 4. The ordinances, each of these embrac- 
ing peculiarities, and in this 1 confess that my education 
and descent will induce me to consider the Church of 
England as the standard of a pure church. That of 
Greece and Rome may be considered together as agree- 
ing in many points ; both holding the doctrine professed- 
ly of the unity of the Godhead, the Nicene, Athanasian, 
and Apostolic creeds, yet differing in some respects from 
each other. Both are truly Apostolical and Episcopal by 
physical descent ; and however they may have fallen into 
some errors, spiritually and practically, which we think 
are most serious, yet, as having the succession from the 
Apostles unquestionably, they are, as I conceive, legiti- 
mate branches of the Church Catholic, and the pure suc- 
cession from the Apostles maintained in them ; and the 
lime they have endured, must entitle them to our respect 
and veneration. 

Both have, however, indulged in useless and presump- 
tuous attempts to define the peculiar nature of God, who 
is infinite. This, on the face of it, appears absurd ; how- 
ever, it has produced those two creeds — incomparable as 
compositions, and unquestionable, — the Athanasian and 
Nicene, neither of which I would perhaps, have ever re- 
commended, because they are, notwithstanding the care, 
the talents and the pains bestowed on them, still obscure, 
and either say not enough or too much. The peculiari- 
ties of the Greek Church are, I believe, the use of 
chrism in baptism, which is substituted for confirmation, 
the invocation of saints, and, 1 believe, of the Virgin 
Mary, as the mother of God. Its liturgies are the labor 
of hundreds of years ; and they have a set form of pub- 
lic worship for every day (I believe) of the year ; and the 
people are so ignorant, that many of the observances de- 
rived from their fathers, are regarded superstitiously, 
and much more importance is given to the forms than the 
substance. To me no people seem more superstitious, 
and individually know and practice so little the gospel 



33 

precepts, except in one particular, their resignation to 
martyrdom. For under the Turkish yoke, I am told, 
they have through all the time of their slavery to that 
power, been subjected to such a revolting exercise of 
power as cannot be told. They always meet it in the 
spirit of the old martyrs, and with the same assurance of 
a heavenly crown. Thus I have been told that a single 
Turkish soldier has been known to enter the house of a 
Greek christian, and take off all the heads of a numer- 
ous family, calling them before him one by one, and 
without a murmur presenting their necks in succession 
to the stroke of his ci meter. I have been told, that 
whilst under the Turkish yoke, such an exhibition was 
by no means a rare occurrence. And I have presumed 
the administration of the ordinances of a divine religion 
must have been truly admirable, that could still keep 
alive this noble christian spirit of non-resistance to mar- 
tyrdom. Nevertheless, the moral character of the mod- 
ern Greek christians by no means corresponds to this 
virtue ; and this devotedness may be said, 1 think, rather 
to result from superstition than religion, though our 
hopes and prayers should be, that they should yet reap 
the heavenly crown of martyr's reward. As for the Ro- 
man church, it is superfluous to enter on details ; she is 
so intimately known to us all, that we can speak of her 
enormities, usurpations, corruptions, and final apostacy 
sealed by the Council of Trent, as they may arise for 
consideration, without recapitulating the appalling list 
of them, from which our church has been by God's 
grace, so happily delivered. 

Academicus. My friend Theophilus, I must remind 
you that you have several times spoken of religion and 
superstition without having made the slightest attempt 
to define them. Do pray let us take care that we under- 
stand those words in the same meaning. 

Theophilus. I thank you, my friend Academicus ; this 
should most certainly have been a preliminary step, equal- 
ly incumbent on us all ; and I take the whole Bible to be 
the Christian's rule of faith and standard of truth. I take 
religion to be such a knowledge of the spiritual govern- 
ment of God Almighty, as has in truth been revealed to 
us in the Bible or otherwise, and that superstition con- 
sists in acknowledging the spiritual government of God, 
but presuming that to be subjected to some rule of our 
own imagination not authorized by the Bible, nor by any 
assured revelation from God, and that neither religion 



34 

nor superstition can be subjected to the common under- 
standings of men, both being purely spiritual. 

Religion is a knowledge and subjection of mind and 
body to the truth, as revealed in Jesus Christ, the 
Amen. Superstition is a subjection of mind and body to 
laws ignorantly imposed on us, as the truth ; that is, either 
founded on a lie, or on the perversion of some truth. In 
these senses 1 always use them. 

Hermit. You have travelled very cursorily over 
some other points equally necessary to be much better 
understood by us all, Tbeophilus. I would, therefore, 
by permission, ask you one or two questions. Of the 
lioman church, you have decided that she is in open re- 
bellion, Satanic, and that she cannot, until reconverted, 
be brought into communion with any other body of 
christians. 

Theophilus. That is certainly my conviction. 

Hermit. But your opinion of the Greek church does 
i ot go this length, although you considered both togeth- 
f r as manifestly resembling each other. 

Theophilus. I did so, because their views of the 
doctrines seemed to be very similar, nor indeed do they 
much differ in many superstitions; but the Greek has 
never apostatized from the truth by public profession. 
The truth of the gospel I believe to be in her, but. much 
smothered in some instances. She has not assumed au- 
thority by usurpation, and if right means were used, I 
think she might be brought into communion with our re- 
formed church. 

Hermit. What, Theophilus, is the great point in 
which all must be agreed to believe without difference, 
in a community of christians ? 

Theophilus. That all should worship the same God, 
the true God, the God of the Bible, Jehovah, Jesus 
Christ, the Amen, the Almighty, the God of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob. 

Hermit. You have here mentioned him (and 1 be- 
speak the serious reverence of us all in considering this 
subject,) by several names, and undoubtedly could have 
added forty more from the Bible. How then do you de- 
fine the Trinity ? Is your rule that of Athanasius ? 

Theophilus. I must say that I have paid some at- 
tention to this mystery, and although not satisfied per- 
fectly with it as explained either inlhe Niccne or A Iia- 
nasian creeds, yet I really do not think a better or m >re 
satisfactory explanation of the doctrine could be given. 



35 

Academicus. On this subject, which stands in the 
very front of our religious profession, and has been the 
fruitful source of so many heresies, (so named,) which, 
indeed, I have never had sufficient data to examine, I 
must confess myself still far from a satisfactory conclu- 
sion, — equally averse from the Socinian vanities which 
generally accompany Unitarianism, and the seemingly 
absurd dietums of Orthodoxy. On that subject J am still 
somewhat at a loss, and the incertitude arising may ac- 
count lor much of my seeming skepticism. I cannot 
bring my mind in subjection to any form of words, 
which seems to embrace contradiction. I see nothing 
that a man need gainsay in the Nicene, but in the Atha- 
nasian creed it is not so. With the damnatory clauses I 
am less at issue, than to all relating to persons. I should 
much like to hear some observations from yourself, Mr. 
Hermit, on this difficult subject. 

Rusticus. in which request I must join : for myself I 
have always considered the subject as beyond my reach 
and have been content to take it on trust as it. stands, in 
the two explanatory creeds mentioned 1 should, how- 
ever, much like to hear some more satisfactory explana- 
tion than they give. 

Hermit. Academicus has, I think, rightly viewed 
the only difficulty as existing in the word persons in the 
one; and in the other creed, necessary obscurity arises 
from the attempt to explain by words the Iwo na- 
tures in Jesus Christ, whereas the Almighty himself 
seems to me to have pointed to the only definition which 
we can in our present nature understand — a visible si- 
militude or image of God in man It behooves us much 
to examine well what scripture has said on the subject; 
and there are two publications where this appears to me 
to have been very well done ; in Jones's little work on 
the Trinity, and Swedenborg's chapter on the Lord. 
We see every name of the Almighty God, and every at- 
tribute of the one only God, predicated of Jesus Christ, 
and in him dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily, 
who is God over all blessed for ever. Therefore the con- 
clusion is manifest; Jesus Christ is God Almighty, and 
the Lord our God is one Lord, or more strictly interpre- 
ted, the Eternal one Almighty is one Eternal, or Jeho- 
vah. So that every christian is in truth, or should be, 
strictly a Unitarian ; but the sect so calling themselves ab- 
surdly, would rob this the christian's God, the God of 
/xbraham, Isaac and Jacob, that only God revealed or 



36 

manifested to man in the Bible, and by and in every act 
attributed to him and recorded of him therein, they strip 
this one God of his divinity, and worship they know not 
what — a God manufactured, or concocted in that work- 
shop of images, the imagination. But the human mind 
cannot stop itself here, for the same God has bestowed 
an intellect, his spirit, to search out the hidden things, 
even of God. Our Lord commanded us to be baptized 
in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This 
command in this form, exists as a precept, but in a sin- 
gle text in Matthew, and in the benediction, an analagous 
form is sometimes used. In examining this subject, and 
taking the popular notion of a Trinity, I turned my at- 
tention to man, the type or image, made after the pattern 
of God. Man, I perceived, was composed of three dis- 
N tinct principles ; the body which, without the other two, 
is a dead corpse ; life being added, it becomes an animal. 
Intellect being superadded, he becomes a man. This 
analogy seemed so natural and so perfect, that I at once 
adopted and never since could mend it. Every man 
then is composed of a Trinity as incomprehensible to 
himself as that said to compose the Godhead, and pre- 
sented in this form to any man, conveys a better notion 
of that mystery than can be obtained by any mere form 
of words. 

Theophilus. I confess 1 have never before heard of 
this, which seems to me so perfect a similitude ; and being 
so familiar, my wonder is, that I never should have come 
across it in any writings, even of the Fathers. 

Hermit. My next step was to examine the form of 
Athanasius, and like Academicus, I stumbled at the first 
step, against the word person, and persons. Now we 
never call angels, or beings purely spiritual, persons ; 
. , t because, for the most part, we esteem them to want what 

'fJ&V&UU-seems to us spinteal to person, viz., a body. Yet they 
cannot be manifested to the eye of man without assuming 
a substantial form also ; and we can form no notion of 
what we call a person, without the combination of the 
three constituent parts, two of which seem to us purely 
spiritual, and one only substantial : so that the word 
person, according to my limited ideas, could not, in its 
commonly received sense, apply to the Godhead, except 
as manifested in the person of Jesus Christ : In the 
Creed, or form in question, I saw, that the word persona 
does not mean a person, in the sense we receive it: but 
rather it should be rendered into English, by the word 



37 

office, or character : if so rendered, the form did not appear 
to me to embrace any difficulty, much less a mystery, be- 
yond that of man's own nature. 

Rusticus. I thank you, most sincerely, Hermit, for 
this view of the subject. It has indeed rendered that 
hard knot of Theologists quite clear to my simple com- 
prehension^ you have stated it ; not three persons and 
one God, but three characters, or modes of manifesting 
Almighty power in one Person and in one God, even our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

Hermit. You seem, Rusticus, rightly to have com- 
prehended my meaning, which is fully exemplified in 
Moses' account of the Creation, in the very first three 
verses of Genesis i., which may thus, I opine, be para- ^, 
phrased from a very superficial knowledge of Hebrew, 
which ] diligently inquired into for a few weeks ; and 
assisted by the views of Mr. Tilloch, whose short Essay 
on the language of the Apocalypse seems to me worthy 
of serious observation. He has rescued that divine book 
from the charge of barbarous and ungrammatical lan- 
guage, which 1 confess was for some time a stumbling- 
block in my way, as it has long been in our Universities 
even. " In the beginning, Power Almighty made the 
" heavens and the earth. And the earth was without 
" any (spiritual) properties, (but purely substantial,) and 
" darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the 
" Spirit of Almighty Power brooded over the face of the 
11 waters. And the Word of Almighty Power com- 
" manded light to be," &c. Now we render the 
word "Elohim," by God, but its true signification seems 
to be that of an attributive noun, describing a property 
of an abstract nature, to which neither form nor semblance 
can be imagined. And this form of expression is in He- 
brew, generally, as it appeared to me, plural; as in the 
heavens, for space in the abstract. Lives, youth, vir- 
ginity, and others, which our English idiom generally 
expresses in a singular form, as God, heaven, life, 
youth, &c. Without however spending more time on 
speculative verbal criticism, let us proceed with my 
mode of substantiating the view I had taken of this mo- 
mentous question of the Trinity. 

The command of our Lord was to baptize in the name 
(not names) of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit : and this 
form has continued to this day. Therefore, there can be 
no reasonable doubt that he did so direct, and no doubt 
for wisest reasons. But in Acts ii. Peter says, " Repent, 
4 



33 

" and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus 
" Christ," &c. Father, Son, and Spirit, is, then, the 
name of Jesus Christ. So does the same Book of Acts 
furnish examples of baptizing in the name of Jesus, and 
of the Lord. And Paul to the Corinthians takes it for 
granted that they had been baptized in the name of the 
Lord who was crucified for them, that is, Jesus Christ. 
Seeing, then, that through the whole Bible the analogy 
which, by God's grace, had been suggested to me by the 
plain reading of Genesis i., was every where upheld, 
and nowhere contradicted, you will not wonder that I 
am tenacious of it. However, I referred to the Fathers, 
and found some very obscure references to a heresy, 
which seemed to have something of the same view, — the 
Sabellian, as it is called. What the precise nature of that 
heresy was, I can find nowhere described, but believe it 
to have been something similar to this I have described, 
except that Sabcllius seems to have added some fanciful 
speculations with which 1 have nothing to do. I gather, 
however, from very obscure premises, that he believed or 
imagined, that God Almighty ruled men in the Patri- 
archal ages, as the Almighty Father — that is, in that cha- 
racter only : in the Mosaic dispensation, as the Son, the 
Angel of the Covenant, in whom was the name, viz., 
hiving all the attributes of Almighty Power ; and in the 
Christian dispensation, by the Holy Spirit : but that 
these three were and are the very same and only God 
Almighty. If, indeed, this was the notion of Sabellius, 
I see nothing in it to quarrel about ; but I confess that I 
confined my speculations to individual man. I conceived 
that that name of our Lord, which may truly be said to be 
triune, set forth his characters, or the modes by which he 
manifests himself to every man ; and that every man is 
an epitome of the world or microcosm. As the Father, 
he shows or manifests himself in the whole contemplative 
creation, visible and invisible, physical and spiritual ; as 
the Son, in the open, supernatural, personal and angelic 
apparitions, from Adam to his advent in humility, and 
even until that glorious and consummating advent when 
he will ngain be manifested to the men of all ages in the 
glorious majesty of the Eternal Almighty And lastly, 
the Holy Ghost is that mode of manifesting Almighty 
Power, whose sphere of operation is the inner or spiritual 
man, as in Moses and all the Prophets, in the Apostles, 
and in John, when he said he was in the Spirit ; ami as 
we believe, in all the children of our Lord's family , even 



39 

©F this day, -to whom he has imparted this comfortable 
spirit of salvation and eternal life. These are the me- 
thods, or means, or characters, or offices, by which God 
has, in all ages, made himself known to man, and, I be- 
lieve, the only means ; and in whichever of these three 
distinct characters we consider him, he is still the same 
God, who was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world 
to himself: God over all, blessed for ever. If it were 
possible to mistake him, with the Bible for oar guide, the 
scenic representations of the Apocalypse would decide 
the question, that Jesus Christ, he who shed his own 
blood for us, is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, 
beginning and ending, the Amen, the Almighty, &c. &c. 
These, my friends, are my views on this very weighty 
^doctrinal subject of the Trinity, which might have been 
extended into volumes. 

Theophilus. Before we enter into any discussion on 
this your very brief but lucid statement of your idea of 
this doctrine of the Trinity, will you favor us with fur- 
ther remarks on two other doctrines of the Apostles' 
Creed, the descent into Hell or Hades, and the right hand 
of God. 

Hermit. On the former, our Lord is silent; but Peter 
has a text which the Romans have perverted into authority 
for their notions of purgatory, and David, in the Psalm 
which Peter in Acts ii. quotes, upholds the notion : but 
I see not that much harm would have accrued from its 
absence from the later forms of profession, as well as the 
earlier, in which as well as the Nicene and Athanasian 
creeds, it was omitted, nor do I see any ill that it does, 
where it is. On the second question, God may he said 
4;o be ail right hand, or power. 1 conceive the right hand 
to be a mere metaphor, peculiar to old forms of speech, 
for power, and so it is sometimes expressed in Scripture. 
The meaning then, in plain English is, that Jesus Christ 
is in Heaven, on the Throne of God, and endued with 
power Almighty, and the phrase u sitting at the right 
hand of God," would have been less liable to be misun- 
derstood, if it had been so rendered. As it stands, it con- 
veys a wrong notion. The word sitting is also a meta- 
phor, for " fixed," " established," £z&. &c. 

Academicus. I thank }'ou most sincerely, Hermit. I 
think your explanation of these creeds, even so far as 
you have favored <js, worth the whole voyage across the 
Atlantic. But our conversation has trenched a little on 
your hours. It is now past three, A. M. So good night : 
or morning. 



40 



FIFTH CONVERSATION. 



Theophtlus. Although 1 listened to your discourse 
with great delight, because the views were to me novel; 
yet Hermit, you will excuse me for suggesting, whether 
your notion which subverts, root and branch, the charge 
of Pantheism, or three distinct Gods, laid against the 
Trinitarian christians, whether you think this doctrine, 
or exposition of the true doctrine, thus destroying at a 
blow all the mysticism hitherto attached to it, could be 
so expressed by unobjectionable words, that all chris- 
tians would or could concur. Certainly, if we may take 
this company as a rule, we were by no means agreed be- 
fore. But your exposition seems here carried, heart and 
voice, nem. con. Now, although it was not necessary 
to the very simple, natural and truly scriptural analogy 
you have adopted, and which I have pondered over all 
this day, and am but the more surprised at its close adap- 
tation to the pattern or anti-type, in every light viewed, 
but do you really think, Hermit, that the World and the 
Devil and the Pope will so easily give up their three 
persons, three distinct beings, to make up their one char- 
acter, or power of God — a sort of incomprehensible trium- 
virate, such as is exemplified in Roman history at different 
times? And how, Hermit — how do you get rid of the 
many ingenious definitions of person, got up to reconcile 
the Mystics to the unintelligible language of their creed 
of Athanasius ? 1 call it unintelligible, because it is not 
meant to describe or define any thing really intimately 
known to any man ; nor imaginable, as having any exist- 
ing similitude within his knowledge. I have stated in 
my view, that the difference between you and Athana- 
sius is broad and distinct. Pie makes three distinct per- 
sons or beings, each with all the properties of persons ; 
each of them one Almighty Power; yet each being in 
himseli a distinct Almighty; and he says these three are 
not to be confounded in person, — that is, as each distinct 
beings, — and yet must not be imagined to be divided in 
substance ; and having done all that language can do to 
assure us that each of the three persons are each of them 
God Almighty, he at once leaps the barrier he himself 
has raised," and exclaims, but these are not three Gods, 
but one God, Your exposition, on the contrary, declares 
one God, and that every mode by which he has shown 
himself to man, may be embraced, and do in reality fall 



41 

within three distinct characters or modes of manifesta- 
tion of one person or being only, one and indivisible. 

1. As the God and Father of ail things, manifested 
only by the works of the creation, or things made. And 
this view embraces all the elements of natural religion, as 
it is called. 

2d. By supernatural apparitions or communications 
external, as regards man. This is the source of revealed 
religion from God, as the Son, the Word, the manifesta- 
tion of the living God. 

3d. And lastly, by inspiration, or special intellectual 
endowment; which is internal as regarding the imme- 
diate subject being man. This is the Holy Ghost. And 
that all these modes of manifestation to man, are powers, 
or characters, or attributes of the one only Gcd of chris- 
tians, the God of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob by some 
have been considered types of these three characters. 

Indeed, you have treated Athanasius not as an oppo- 
nent but friend and coadjutor ; for by denning the one 
word person, to mean office or character, and not a dis- 
tinct being, he says precisely the same thing. But yet 
our Lord prays to his Father, and speaks of him as of a 
distinct being, even as distinct as a human father and a 
beloved son ; and much else that I need not capitulate, that 
the world in its present skeptical humor will, as they have 
done with the truth, reject it on its first showing forth. 
But great is truth. It is even our God and Lord himself, 
as you say, the Amen, and he will prevail. For this end, 
O Lord Jesus, come quickly, as thou hast promised on 
thy word, which is the Truth, Amen. 

Hermit. I thank you sincerely, Theophilus I did 
rather not expect so. easy a convert in your orthodoxy^ 
although I value myself quite as much as you do on 
that. You seem rightly to have comprehended the real 
question, which is, whether we shall continue to use a 
form of words, as expressing a universal belief in what 
no two of the professors can form quite similar and in- 
telligible notions of, and perhaps no two understanding 
it alike, who will endeavor to put their ideas into words ; 
indeed, whether we shall continue to say and believe 
there are three distinct persons or beings, each of whom 
is Almighty God, and yet affirm not three Gods, but one 
God. It is, to say the least of it, an absurd mystifica- 
tion. The real question is, whether we will preach to the 
unlearned christian, three Gods, or one God. For taking 
the Roman idols to set forth their real creed^ we know 
4* 



42 

that they have in some of their cathedrals in Italy and 
Piedmont, representations of the Trinity by three dis- 
tinct images, which no art of sophistry can make a peas- 
ant or fisherman really believe to be but one, although 
his priest may avow it to be so till doomsday, and may 
imprison him in the inquisition, or in purgatory, if he 
presume to say the three pieces of wood or stone are 
three and not one. We reject their images, but adopt 
their creed. The American church has done well to re- 
ject both. I would, Theophilus, avoid detailed discus- 
sion, or observations, as much as possible now. Perhaps 
if you return this way from the westward, we may then 
have more leisure to dilate on the principles we may now 
elicit. To answer the question of our Lord's praying to 
his Father, whilst in human form and character, divines 
have explained it amply. He then held a double char- 
/ acter, as Creator and creature, as God and man. The 

creature, — though in this double character united in him, 
and truly in his person, — the creature even in him must 
be subordinate to its Creator, and whether begotten or 
made, the man Jesus must be considered a creature, as 
to his body or person or being, which was the mere tem- 
ple or dwelling of the Godhead while on earth, mortal 
and substantial as man himself — and if we consider the 
constituent parts of man, as simply pure spirit, in life 
and intellect, and purely substantial in earthly body ; 
thus, as two distinct beings, soul and body. The soul 
may by any man be imagined to be endowed with even 
Almighty power; that is, to be Almighty power itself", 
that is, to be God, and have in his own dominion and 
tinder his rule, his subject visible body in man's form. 
This is a sort of simple metaphysics, quite comprehensi- 
ble by the most vulgar minds, who all understand what 
we mean, if we say the soul of Jesus Christ was God Al- 
mighty, and he took the body into union with himself, 
and fulfilled as a man more than ever he had exacted 
from any man, as his God and Maker, and so justified 
perfectly the ways of God, even to man, — and oh ! what 
a glorious subject for man's unrestrained joy and songs 
of praise ! to the confusion of the Fatalist, and for the as- 
surance of salvation to sinners ! Here would be a theme 
for songs and rhapsodies of praise for an eternity of time. 
But my friends, it is too much for men. On earth, we 
are still subject to the evil one, the curse, and must toil 
;as well as pray for our daily bread. But I am digress- 
ing. Presuming that you are satisfied, we have as yet 
ibad no occasion to depart from the analogy, to account 



43 

for our Lord s subservience to God, even as the body to 
the soul, even whilst in union, even as our own souls 
and bodies. 

But a few words more may not be amiss on the per- 
sonality of each person, as it is called, in the Trinity — 
of which term I have ever found those to be most tena- 
cious who understood it least. 

Academicus. But how do you reconcile the prayers 
of our Lord to addresses to his own soul, Mr. Hermit? 
They are represented as being always addressed to a be- 
ing external to himself — and the voice from heaven 
was certainly external, as regarded the visible person of 
our Lord. 

Hermit. This may be answered directly, by our 
Lord's ubiquity, who, as he declared himself, though vis- 
ibly and manifestly on earth, was then in heaven; and 
indirectly, by asking how we pray to and for, and by the 
Holy Spirit, then indwelling in us. Is it not by ad- 
dressing our prayers to him in his character of Universal 
Father, and manifested in the Son ? We neither apos- 
trophize our own souls, where and in whom he dwells, 
and therefore in our bodies ; nor do we address him in the 
form of the dove, which is said to have been one of the 
first forms of Pagan idolatry ; nor do we address him as 
manifested in the form of fiery cloven tongues; nor in 
the fire which descended from Heaven, and of old con- 
sumed the sacrifices — another form of Pagan heresy or 
idolatry. In this view, we address the Spirit of Almighty 
Power, which pervades the universe ; but the whole 
universe is not incased in the body of any man, who is 
within the universe, not containing it. In this view, 
Arius' views of the human nature of our Lord himself, 
however erroneous on the whole, may be reconciled to 
the truth, if we could consider the man Christ Jesus 
separate and distinct from his Godhead ; which, as it 
never, that we know of, did exist in this separate state, is 
a species of metaphysical anatomy, to be seriously dep- 
recated, because beyond our limited faculties. Let us 
not attempt to be wise above what is revealed or written. 
What has been the fruitful source of all the heresies, all 
the infinitely-divided opinions of men, resulting from 
this metaphysical anatomy? This is beautifully illus- 
trated in the fable of Daedalus and Icarus, whose wings 
are a figure of the imagination. Let us earthly creatures 
take our stand on earth. We are permitted to anatomize 
earthly bodies, created things : to trace them to the 
Hcst great Cause ; but of that cause, and it is one only, 



44 

of all thing's in earth or heaven, as both reason and rev- 
elation assures us, we can know nothing ; we can only 
know spiritual or heavenly things, by supernatural aid ; 
by revelations or communications from Heaven itself. 
Let us here end with the Trinity, and only attempt its 
contemplation as exemplified in its type, to which we 
have been referred by God himself to study it, viz. in 
man. 

But to answer, Theophilus, whether the creed we have 
attempted to elucidate could be expressed in such terms 
or words as might be universally received by christians, 
I do indeed think it would be difficult. It must be pos- 
sible, however. Our present forms of expression fall 
very short, I think, of expressing what we mean to say. 
1 believe in God — tbe Father — the Son — the Holy 
Ghost — the Resurrection from the dead — the Life Ev- 
erlasting — the Holy Catholic Church — the Communion 
of Saints, &c. &c. What do we believe of all these? — 
Certainly, not the very same thing. For example, we 
believe in the first three, as the characters or modes by 
which God has been pleased to manifest himself to man ; 
but of the others, as simple truths, assured by revelation 
from him. You have heard how I express my creed, in 
our evening's exercises of prayer. I pretend not that it 
is unexceptionable, nor does it come up to my own sense 
of my relations with God Almighty ; but, imperfect as it 
is, he will, I believe, graciously accept it. For as John 
says, the world itself would not contain the account of 
all his acts; nor the period of our whole time in eternal 
existence, for recounting them. How imperfect then 
must be all human attempts to say all we ought to say in 
a few fugitive words ! Such great and fundamental 
truths, as I arrive at from time to time, I generally en- 
deavor to express to our Lord and God, in prayer; and 
this better imprints them on my own memory — to him 
they can add nothing, nor take any thing from him. 

Academicus. You remember, perhaps, my relative 
and namesake, in Law's ' Spirit of Prayer.' I was much 
pleased with the recapitulation of your creed in form of 
prayer ; and beincr, like my namesake, desirous of instruc- 
tion, should much desire to have a copy of that you re- 
peated, although I am aware that no two persons will 
perhaps express themselves precisely alike, although not 
differing in sentiment in the least. Permit me to be<r a 
copy of this evening's prayer, so far as meant to express 
your creed, after the Lord's Prayer. 



45 

Hermit. Willingly; they were such as Law's The- 
ophilus there recommended, the produce of conviction 
and of the heart. I have never yet attempted to put them 
into written form ; thus they were expressed this even- 
ing : " Govern me, O Lord God, by thy Holy Spirit in 
" all things, by thy will, not by mine ; and so that I may 
" love and serve thee, with my whole heart and soul, and 
" worthily praise thy name in Christ my Lord ; and so 
H perform my duty, as may be honorable and acceptable 
" to thee, creditable to myself, and beneficial to my coun- 
" try and to all mankind." And again : " Open the heart 
" and mind of thy servant, to a true knowledge and un- 
" derstanding of thy Will and thy Word; and enable me 
11 by thy Holy Spirit, to perform the same, by the blessed 
" mediation of my Saviour, my Redeemer, and my God 
" Jesus Christ the righteous, my Father and my friend ; 
" the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ; the Almighty; 
" the Eternal ; the only and ever-living God, to whom 
" be all honor, praise and glory, for ever and ever, Amen." 

This 1 suppose is the ,part of the evening service you 
alluded to; but I have no permanent set form of words, 
except our Lord's own, and these other vary with my 
feelings at the time, but all expressive of the same idea, 
that the only God, as manifested in Jesus Christ, is that 
Almighty Power, to whom I hold myself responsible for 
all my thoughts, words, and works, and that he is all 
goodness, mercy, and love, and that all my hopes in time 
and eternity, are centred in him, and in him only. 

Academicus. I thank you, Hermit, and certainly am 
delighted with your analogy of the Trinity ; in man as 
body, life, and intellect, which I never remarked among 
those used by the Fathers or later divines ; these 1 remem- 
ber are the sun, light, and heat ; ice, water, and vapor ; 
understanding, will, and memory, as purely intellectual, 
and some others. But the most complete and univer- 
sally understandable is certainly, as you have said, man 
himself. 

Rusticus. This subject of the fundamental doctrine, 
I think I now perfectly understand. That our God is 
one God, and dwells in the temple built without hands, 
even Jesus Christ, as he did aforetime in his type or 
shadow on the mercy seat in the temple and tabernacle, 
&c. I would now, my friends, call your attention as to 
the modes of his government, whether by fatal decrees, 
or subject to all the contingences of man's free will. 
The Greeks are, I believe, for the most part, predesti- 



46 

narians, and the Romans, by no means so ; the Kirk is so 
decidedly ; the Church of England not so, that is, so far 
as can be made out from their practice and professions. 
My friends and self, Mr. Hermit, have frequently dis- 
cussed this point, and do not, I think, differ irreconcila- 
bly. Theophilus and self are more at issue, I think, on 
the personal character of Calvin, than on his doctrines, 
which I cannot persuade myself to admit without much 
modification as regards reprobation. The half-and-half 
Calvinism of that party in the Church of England call- 
ed evangelieal/I confess, seems to approach much nearer 
to my views than even the Kirk, which seems now to re- 
lax much from the severe construction of Calvin's five 
points. 

Theophilus. I confess, notwithstanding, the more 
common opinion of men who assume a pious walk and 
character, are decidedly in favor of Calvinism, and for 
the most part, I believe, profess it, and call themselves 
Calvinists. Yet J have an almost instinctive abhorrence 
of it, and I cannot but esteem it as subversive of the 
pure and simple Christianity preached by our lowly Sa- 
viour and his blessed apostles, as the Roman or papal 
apostacy itself. Calvinism in these days, and the self- 
styled evangelicals and. others, who have set up certain 
marks of a sort of will-worship, as their distinguishing 
mark, are too exactly portrayed in the pharisees of old, 
not to be recognized at a glance ; but this is declamation 
perhaps, not argument, that seems done to our hands how- 
ever, most ably, by three champions of our church, Whit- 
by, Tomline, and Mant ; they however have not touch- 
ed on the personal character of Calvin in such terms as it 
seems to merit. They were divines as learned, at least, 
as Calvin — and no man can deny him this quality, even 
very superior to most'men of his day, yet on his personal 
character I have heard little, but certainly it was not 
marked by apostolic humility. Our judicious Hooker 
has described his tact in policy, and has shown the fal- 
lacy of his dogmas with christian forbearance and tal- 
ent and learning, even exceeding his own (Calvin's.) 
But the authors who have opposed this Calvinism, have 
not, I think, any of them, from the meek Arminius and 
Hooker, down to Mant and Tomline, shown the dire 
effects of Calvinism on the christian morals of its pro- 
fessors by any well-digested history of any bodies of 
men associated on his principles. The Kirk is its fairest 
specimen, but in her, Calvin's extravagance in the rive 



47 

dogmatic points is very much modified, and she is daily 
receding more and more in practice from the strait-laced 
rules of its first days. Calvin's own school ! Where 
and what is it now at Geneva ? there he is superseded 
as an apostle by John Jack Rousseau, and the French 
schools. Remember too, Calvin's own ungovernable 
temper, proud and haughty in his way, as the pope, and 
perhaps, as cunning, and as much disposed to persecu- 
tion, if he had had the power. Witness the burning of 
Servetus ; witness the whole history of puritanism, 
wherever it governed ; the direct tendency to unequiv- 
ocal fatalism of his fatal decrees. All this seems to me, 
to bring Calvinism down to the same level as Mahomet- 
ism and paganism of old, of which fatalism was the 
common mark, and one other mark they have in com- 
mon. Whoever hold the doctrines of fatalism can join 
with their worship (under the name of worldly prudence) 
the gratification of their favorite desires or lust, whether 
the pride or ambition of Satan, or avarice of mammon; 
and even the short time that we have been in this coun- 
try, where Calvinism is the basis of almost all their relig- 
ion who pretend to any, or that to which it naturally tends, 
Socinianism, we see the service of mammon univer- 
sally associated with the service of God. I see numbers 
in your good towns of Havredelest, Hanston, and Pick- 
hard, who assume a pious gait and external decency, that 
is delightful to contemplate, but follow them home, and 
you soon see them entirely absorbed in dollars and cents. 
In short, to draw a small but striking parallel with its 
opposite popery, Calvinism gives its elect votaries a gen- 
eral character of self-indulgence ; they are told the elect 
cannot so sin as to place their salvation in any jeop- 
ardy. Romanism sells indulgences for limited times and 
purposes, or absolves them on confession for sins past; 
but Calvinism, being once spiritually assured of pardon, 
it seems to absolve them from past, present, and future 
sins. What must be the state of morals with unlearned 
and ignorant men under the influence of such opinions? 
Rusticus. My friend Theophilus, I have frequently 
heard you more eloquent on this subject, but must con- 
fess our observation of its results on the common people 
in mass, in this part of America, is the strongest argu- 
ment to me, of its tendency, when unfettered by learn- 
ing and moral habits, as for the most part it is in my 
country. There evidently must be something wrong in 
or about it. I should, much like to hear a few words 



48 

from Hermit on the subject, if he will oblige us, and I 
should not wonder if Theophilus' parallel of Calvinism, 
with the fatalism of Mahomet and Pagans of old, was to 
arouse Academicus, who seems half asleep. 

Academicus. I have never listened to Theophilus 
with more pleasure: it would have been increased had he 
been more argumentative and less declamatory. I am 
persuaded that if any more rigid professor of Calvinism 
than Rusticus, had heard his parallel of Calvinism with 
Romanism, they would have been more uneasy. I am 
charmed with it, and think it might be carried out much 
farther, nor indeed was I quite aware that fatalism was a 
peculiar and marked feature of paganism, as well as Ma- 
hometism. On this subject however, I confess myself a 
learner, therefore a listener only, and shall be delighted 
to hear Hermit speak on this subject. 

Hermit. Theophilus has done well and wisely ; this 
subject has been argued ably, fully, and with great learn- 
ing and ability, by the authors he mentions, and he has 
very prettily added some observations of his own, which 
if Rusticus had more prejudices than he professes, in fav- 
or of the Genevan reformer, must have had some effect 
to remove them. What I shall say, will be more for the 
satisfaction of Academicus, who, before he comes to a 
conclusion in judgment, likes to see the major and minor 
propositions ; and I confess, and feel no shame in con- 
fessing, that I have a much clearer conviction of the 
whole subject than I can easily or satisfactorily express, 
and am quite sure that I shall use many more words than 
might set forth the subject more clearly. .1 must again take 
man as he is, for my subject. I assume no speculative 
man, a man merely dressed out or endowed by my imag- 
ination, but a man such as I can take myself in my own 
person, for a fair sample, and such others as I may have 
some intimate knowledge of. I find myself in this 
world, what may be called a free man ; that is, subject in 
my conduct to no restraints, but those imposed by my 
own judgment and will. How these may be operated on is 
a question quite foreign to this truth. That my conduct 
in this world, in all circumstances, is subject to my will, 
and that will, so far as my conduct goes, is despotic ; my 
will then is free ; every act of my life proves this, in so 
far as I do it, or do it not, as my will may dictate. This is 
so, for the old woman's reason, because it is so, and every 
man knows it. It requires no further demonstration, 
and even Academicus may adopt it as an axiom in our 



49 

Polemics. The will then, being the master of our con- 
duct, and its sole director, must be responsible for the 
right or wrong of our actions, because the only direct 
mover or cause. But responsible, how ? and to whom ? 
Is it responsible to the judgment? alas ! too often it pro- 
ceeds in defiance of judgment; the judgment is the law- 
ful counsellor of the will ; they ought never to be two, 
but one, even as the Son and the Father are one. When 
the will casts off his allegiance to judgment, or under- 
standing, or wisdom, then 1 find it may choose counsel- 
lors by caprice, either of the world, the flesh, or the devil, 
and the conduct will generally be found of a character 
corresponding, but still the will is the only responsible 
agent, because perfectly free, that is, under no necessity 
to choose perverse or wicked counsellors. On the con- 
trary, if any necessity be admitted at all, it would ap- 
pear to be to render the will subservient to judgment. 

And God Almighty gave man dominion, &c. ; that is, 
made him monarch over the piece of earth — the micro- 
cosm, man, and its subject beasts of the earth, creeping 
things, birds and fishes; that is, of all the passions, lusts, 
desires, and endowments of mind and body, of which the 
beasts, &c, are animated types or analogies; and ren- 
dered man's will, the despot ruler of all these — but the 
authority of the will, the inner man, was to be limited by 
judgment and wisdom. But to cut short this spiritualism, 
man was made free to act, by his own will, free to stand, 
free to fall. This is our axiom established, therefore it is 
responsible to no one but self for its free exercise of in- 
herent dominion ; and only responsible for the effects, 
which, unless the will had been subject to judgment or 
wisdom, the conduct resulting from the counsel of the 
world, the flesh, or the devil, must lead to corresponding 
results ; and in the end, quite subvert and depose from 
his office, him who ought to be the legitimate spouse and 
counsellor of the will, viz: the judgment, wisdom, analo- 
gies of the Father and Spirit, as will is of the Son. The 
will then, subjected to its own guiding spirit, is the natu- 
ral alliance to which it should be subject. The will it- 
self should partake of the very nature of its own author 
of being, the understanding, even a rib of the very body. 
Such an alliance may perpetuate its generations, even to 
eternal life. But when the will plays the whore against 
her legitimate lord, and forms unnatural alliances with 
the world, flesh or devil, then they generate only mon- 
sters, mules, which cannot be perpetuated, and so must 



50 

die — must come to an end — and thus the crime of per- 
verse will is self-destruction. But Calvin, in so far as 
he makes man and his will creatures of necessity, neces- 
sarily removes all responsibility from them both — and 
to do this, he sets up a thing for a God, absolutely un- 
known in the Bible — a Goo 1 who has imposed no laws or 
restraints on himself — a God who has given to man 
nothing but a wretched and worthless being, with no 
dominion, no power; in short, with no endowment, nor 
any condition of eternal life, but the capricious exercise 
of unaccountable, irresponsible power, by a system of 
pure and capricious favoritism. This is his idol — Fate, 
Moloch. But the God of the Bible has no relation with 
this idol whatever. Our God has of his free grace, entered 
into most gracious covenant with man on every dispen- 
sation, and has thus placed limits to his own exercises of 
power — not to his power, but to its exercise or use. 
My judgment has then thus decided of Calvin — that in 
opposing the idolatry and corruptions of the Papacy, 
he set up a still more hideous and fearful idol, if that 
be possible, and even another form of Antichrist. I might 
exemplify this view by numerous analogies, taken from 
real life and the history of man. But you, my friends, 
Rusiicus and Academicus, may do this better, since you 
have travelled over the ground. I shall mention, much 
later, abstracting from the question of Calvinism, that 
of church government, which makes no part of it. I 
consider it here, only as regards the nature and princi- 
ples of God's government of this world and of man. I 
consider Calvinism is typified by the government of the 
Grand Turk, whose, prime minister is the bow-string, 
and rule of government, despotic caprice. True Chris- 
tianity is represented by the British Constitutional Gov- 
ernment, where the justice of the sovereign is limited 
by laws of his own self-imposition ; but whose mercy 
alone, is without bounds or restraint. Of spiritual des- 
potism, under any name, 1 have an instinctive abhor- 
rence. Whether Calvin or Papa Peter be the despot, is 
indifferent — they are both, I think, to be eschewed. 

And, indeed, I have set up in my own mind, a princi- 
ple which flows from pure reason, and is supported by 
all my experience. By this principle, I endeavor to test 
all opinions, particularly the dogmas, doctrines or pre- 
cepts of .religion, which lie at the root of social morals. 
If the religious principles taught with a view to influ- 
ence the actions of men, be such as impose a severe and 



51 

just responsibility for their actions ; making them re- 
wardable and punishable, according as they be good or 
evil — that religion must be good, its decided aim is to 
encourage good and repress evil — and in proportion as 
man is left free to commit actions, good or evil, with 
impunity. The religion, or the maxims which inculcate 
such irresponsible conduct, must be evil. Fatalism and 
Favoritism would take all responsibility from man — 
therefore they tend naturally to evil. So Romanism is 
fatal to good order, because weak and wicked men, as 
priests, usurp the right of God, and by presuming to par- 
don sins by their dictum and judgment only, they de- 
stroy man's responsibility to God, for their evil deeds. 
Fatalism and superstitious licentiousness are equally at 
enmity with true religion, with God and man. 

I am afraid I have succeeded ill in my attempts to 
compress this subject of Calvinism, within some simple 
rule of judgment ; but am not aware that I could say 
more to the purpose in a volume. 

Academicus. Hermit, you have referred to Rusticus 
and myself, to draw out your parallel of the Grand Turk, 
and free constitution of our own country — although the 
view you have taken, is in some particulars, novel. 
More I think need not be said to satisfy both Rusticus 
and myself, that Calvinism, so far as it is fatalism, is 
devilish, and therefore damnable. 

Theophilus. We seem perfectly agreed as to the 
pernicious tendency of the peculiar notions designated 
generally by the name of Calvin, as they are reputed, 
.he having reduced them to something like system. 
There is another strong objection, which it is true does 
not stand against the doctrines, in the abstract, and 
which bears with quite as much force against other sects 
of Christianity ; even where no other objection seems to 
lie against their abstract doctrines. It is the adoption of 
the names of men, as dividers of Christianity into sects ; 
as, " I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas." So long as 
this practice holds, 1 would inquire if it be possible for 
any thing like unity of community to exist. The Apos- 
tle Paul has given us his opinion clearly against the 
practice. I presume therefore, we of this company will, 
without exception, make up our minds, that sectarian 
names to mark or denote differences of modes of faith — 
so long as the names of Calvin, Arminius, the Pope, 
Whitfield, Wesley, Methodism, Campbellism, or other 
names of men, however good or great — so long as these 



52 

names are used, and men calling themselves christians, 
class themselves in different parties, designated by these 
names, christians cannot act as one body ; and therefore 
this may be assumed to be wrong. But our next ques- 
tion for discussion may embrace this subject more prop- 
erly. I propose therefore, if it be agreeable, church 
government shall next come under our consideration. 
In this, my friends and I are more discordant. For I con- 
fess that I am decidedly, by conviction and every feeling, 
an Episcopalian, according to Apostolical succession, as 
now existing in the Church of England j and perhaps 
the best way to treat it, will be to discuss such objections 
as may be offered by my friends to that system of per- 
petuating church government, until our Lord shall 
come in person, and himself assume the reins of his own 
government, sensibly. 

Academicus. The course proposed by Theophilus, 
seems unobjectionable. For myself, I may say that I 
have no predilection for any set or order of men, whose 
distinctions from the mass rest on doubtful testimony. 
I shall therefore, by permission, ask Theophilus a few 
questions, to lead us to a fair review of the various sys- 
tems ^presuming we are all acquainted with all the com- 
mon-place on the subject, which to me, I must confess, 
does all fall short of demonstration — nor can I reconcile 
to my own mind, the conclusions of the advocates for 
apostolic succession, as generally understood to consist in 
the formal imposition of hands — hands, it may be of rep- 
robates. Nor am I better satisfied with the remedies sug- 
gested and adopted by the opponents of such a succes- 
sion ; for generally, instead of remedying the evils com- 
plained of, they perpetuate them in what appears to me 
a worse form. But Theophilus, what is the duty of the 
men who hold the respective offices of bishop, priest and 
deacon, the three orders of men in your system ? and 
what are the privileges you claim for them ? and on what 
authority ? or rather, to begin at the founlain-head, will 
you recite the authorities in scripture ; the divine com- 
mission, on which, all who pretend to any authority in 
Christ's church, or over or among his people, do rest 
their claims ? 

Theophilus. I shall endeavor to do so, Academicus, 
as well as 1 am able, and can see no difficulty in satisfy- 
ing you perfectly on the fundamental points to which 
your questions relate. But I must premise, that if I fail 
to satisfy all this company, the fault will rather be mine, 



53 

than that full satisfation is not to be had from more able 
advocates. First then, the apostolic commission is, I 
conceive, contained in Mark vxi. 14, 20 ; Matth. xxviii. 
18, 20 ; Luke xxiv. 45, 53 : John xxi. 15, 17 ; Acts i. 8. 
These different authorities must contain in them all the 
power given to the Apostles, and derivable through the 
succession from them, and which appears ample enough. 

Academicus. Did they at once enter on their office ? 

Theophilus. Not until Acts ii., when they received 
the power promised from above, that is, from our Lord ; 
who had thenceforth all power in heaven and in earth, 
and on earth. 

Academicus. Have you overlooked Matt, xviii. 19, 
20, Theophilus ? 

Theophilus. I did not consider it essential to the 
personal commission, but am glad you have mentioned it. 

Academicus. Perhaps it may be ibund more essential 
than at first sight appears. Was the declaration quoted, 
addressed to each of the apostles, or to the church at 
lartre ? 

Theophilus. To the church at large ; that is, to all 
Christ's disciples. 

Academicus. What personal endowment was neces- 
sary, even to the apostles, for the ministry ? 

Theophilus. Power from on high, which was given 
to them, Acts ii. 

Academicus. That is what we term supernatural 
powers, such as promised, Mark xvi. 

Theophilus. Yes, the power of working miracles 
was to be the proof of their divine commission, and this 
proof they displayed openly. 

Academicus. Was this power to be transmitted also 
to all their successors in the same office? 

Theophilus. The power of working miracles was 
not considered a necessary certificate of their commis- 
sion, after one or two generations. 

Academicus. By whom was it not considered neces- 
sary ? and on what authority did they so decide ? 

Theophilus. Because the proofs of the divine call- 
ing of the apostles was then recorded, and were suffi- 
cient to establish their authority ; for all their acts, and 
those of all their successors, regularly appointed. 

Academicus. The first act of this transmission of 
apostolic powers I think, is recorded in Acts i. 21. 26. 
Was that recorded to show to future generations that 
Matthias was regularly and divinely appointed to the 



54 

office ? or was it intended as the rule and method by 
which the divine will may be known in all future ap- 
pointments to that office ? 

Theophilus. I confess, that if that had been left to 
be decided by my judgment, I should have concluded 
that the successors to the apostles should be chosen from 
such as were publicly acknowledged to have proper qual- 
fication for [the office, and then, that our Lord's will 
should be known to determine the appointment. But 
the church has deemed, for many ages, that the self-dec- 
laration of the candidate, that he believes he is called by 
God, or by the Holy Ghost, to the office in question, to 
be sufficient, without referring to the lot, or any other 
sensible notice of our Lord's own will in the matter. 

Academicus. I fear, Theophilus, this concession is 
fatal to the exclusive pretensions ; but I think we have 
another apostolic appointment recorded, that of Paul to 
the Gentiles, Acts xiii. 1, 4. This is recorded as the rule 
by which missionaries were thenceforth to be chosen and 
sent to the heathen. Does your church practice this 
now? I observe within a few years we have sent bish- 
ops east and west, and have established an episcopal 
church ) daughter of its English mother in these United 
States. Was all this done by the Holy Ghost, his will 
being in any way sensibly manifested in those arrange- 
ments ? 

Theophilus. Of my own knowledge, I cannot say 
how these ordinations have occurred in our church, but 
believe that they have occurred, as in our church at 
home, by royal mandate, because at the reformation, in 
order to extricate the church out of the pope's hands, 
(who, as to the ministry, had usurped the authority of 
our Lord and his Holy Spirit,) we gave ourselves into 
the hands of the state, who, as a corporate body of 
christians, has a right to choose out of the church such 
as shall serve it in such offices as are necessary for the 
administration of spiritual sacraments and ordinances, 
and so the head of this corporate body, the State, we ac- 
knowledge as head of the church. 

Academicus. I was not ignorant of the fact, Theo- 
philus. but 1 desired to hear you state it yourself. Now, 
do I understand you rightly, that in the ordination of 
bishops, for foreign missions, or for home service, the roy- 
al mandate of the head of the state, (be that king, queen, 
Turk, Jew, or infidel,) is substituted for the authority of 
our Lord and his Holy Spirit ? In putting this question, 



55 

Theophilus, 1 would not seem ignorant, that, ostensibly, 
this mandate is presumed to be agreeable to the Holy 
Spirit, because the candidate declares that he believes 
himself moved thereto by the Holy Ghost, or something 
tantamount. However, so far as the appointment to the 
apostolic office by the rules we have referred to in scrip- 
ture, this does seem, at first view, to differ from our prac- 
tice root and branch, principle and practice, and so Theo- 
philus, we will give you, if you please, an opportunity 
of explaining these discrepancies of ancient and modern 
practice. 

Theophilus. Your difficulty perhaps, Academicus, 
may be attributed to my apparent negligence, to set 
forth the appointments of Timothy and Titus to the 
apostolic offices, and perhaps Silas, Epaphras, and others, 
may be adduced. All these seem to have been ordained 
by the simple laying on of the hands of Paul and the 
elders, by Paul's own appointment, which seems to be 
the form the Gentile, indeed the whole christian church 
adopted, and has ever since continued; neither to Tim- 
othy or Titus, does Paul command to refer their choice 
of bishops or elders to the Holy Spirit ; he mentions, 
indeed, that Timothy was called to the office by prophe- 
cy, and indeed that text of Mark iv. 26 — 29, seems to 
intimate that miraculous interference with the conduct 
of the church would cease. Indeed, we have full testi- 
mony by the practice of the churches of Greece and 
Rome, continued through all the intervening ages, that 
the transmission of apostolical authority, and the other 
ministerial orders, as now practiced in our church, is 
regular and legitimate, and has been continued without 
one breach, down to the present day, in our church. 

Academicus. I must interrupt you, Theophilus, here. 
Do I understand you rightly, that you relinquish all the 
scripture texts and authorities for ministerial ordination 
except, in so far as they accord with traditionary cus- 
tom in the churches ? 

Theophilus. I fear I must, for it cannot be denied, 
the scriptural rules do no where accord with any prac- 
tice that I know or read of since the days of Constan- 
tine, and certainly the miraculous powers promised to 
faith, or to those that .believe, Mark xvi. 17, they do not 
appear to have been claimed even, except in some rare 
cases, and by the Roman church, who resort to fraud to 
make lies pass for true miracles. 

Acad emlc us. This, my friend is ingenuous, and like 



56 

yourself. But now tell me, what are the privileges and 
powers obtained to ministers by traditional inheritance, 
and are these supported by scriptural testimony ? 

Theophilus. Teaching, preaching, the administra- 
tion of the sacraments, and other ordinances of the 
church ; and for this, I must confess our claim is purely 
traditional. We think it also consistent with scripture, 
but no where enjoined by it specifically. 

Academicus. When did the custom of state inter- 
ference with the church commence, and its nomination 
to the highest offices of Christ's church ? 

Theophilus. It may be imagined to have been ex- 
ercised by the popes, as temporal princes, but I believe, 
never so acknowledged : the only clear instance I know 
of it is in the Church of England and Ireland, and began 
at the reformation, about three hundred years ago, and 
it must be owned is clearly against all scripture and pre- 
vious practice, but when admitted, seemed clearly ex- 
pedient and unobjectionable. 

Hermit. This conversation has been protracted to 
an unusual length ; we will resume it to-morrow, if you 
please. My friends, good night. 



SIXTH CONVERSATION. 

Hermit. My friends, 1 broke oft your conversation 
rather abruptly, last evening, and with some regret, in 
the middle of a subject, which 1 hope your excellent 
memories will enable you to take up at the point where 
we left off. 

Theophilus. I think that I was endeavoring to satis- 
fy Academicus, as to the origin of the head of the state 
being made the head of the church ; I think the first ex- 
ample since the days of Moses, or perhaps of Noah, is 
that of our church. It has more frequently happened, 
that the head of the church has been made the tempo- 
ral head likewise, which has, wherever established in 
the frail hands of sinful man, ended always in spiritual 
despotism, superstition, ignorance and error, and the per- 
petuation of the reign of darkness ; the papacy is the 
last and most fearful example of this. Our substitution 
of a temporal power to be the head or fountain of spirit- 
ul authority, was, at the time of the reformation, our 
only available expedient, and, so far as we may judge 



57 

from the result, it has pleased our Lord to bless us ac- 
cordingly, and certainly the church has never produced 
in all the times of its duration, so many able, pious, and 
learned men, as it has done in this, one of its least 
branches ; and we may thankfully acknowledge that the 
only spiritual head, our Lord himself, even our one God 
and King, has blessed the whole nation in this connex- 
ion of church and state. 

Academic ds. Does this intimate connexion of church 
and state exist no where else, Theophilus? 

Theophilus. I think not so clearly in connexion and 
union. In Russia the emperor, I believe, assumes au- 
thority over the church and in spiritual matters; in 
Turkey the Sultan, though a Mahometan, has the chris- 
tian church in bondage and subjection to him ; the 
Greek patriarch must be confirmed in his authority by 
this infidel, which approbation is, I am told, often sub- 
ject to intrigue, bargain, and sale. 

Academicus. All christians of every sect,l believe, 
except Socinians, acknowledge, by mouth at least, Jesus 
Christ to be head of his church. Does the Church of 
England profess this ? 

Theophjlus. She acknowledges our Lord to be her 
spiritual head. 

Academicus. Is he not temporal head, also, of his 
own church ? Was there ever a time when, as God, he 
was not the spiritual head of all men, and all societies of 
men ? 

Theophilus. Certainly, by his special providence, 
we acknowledge him as our temporal head, and spirit- 
ually he has ever been God over all blessed for ever. 

Academicus. And in your view of temporal gov- 
ernment by unseen providence, has he not always been 
the temporal Lord of all the world, whether men know it 
or not ? i 

Theophilus. Certainly. 

Academicus. Then in this particular, our relations 
with the Almighty do not seem changed by the christian 
dispensation. 

Theophilus. It would seem so at first starting ; but 
the difference appears to be this. God was pleased to 
sanctify for his own special dwelling-place, the person of 
a man, even Jesus Christ, in order, that in that man he 
might show himself to the world, and by that man as the 
true way to him, to receive worship and praise from all 
men, and obedience also, as to a temporal Lord or Ruler ; 



58 

and, as God, in that man to be adored no longer as an 
indefinite spirit, but as the living God, manifest or visi- 
ble ; and an object of bodily and spiritual sense, even of 
the whole man — this is our Lord Jesus Christ, God and 
man; and as God and man, to be worshipped, glorified, 
and willingly to become unto by all men. 

Academicus. You have well explained it my friend. 
Then how does your church, or any church, or any sect, 
venture to give authority to any other man or being, to 
be head over the church or any part of the church of 
this God-man, the only good man ? 

Theophilus. It is very true, my friend. 

Aimmfmmmm That it does appear to be without jus- 
tification, except that as a society of men in continued 
existence, it must have a visible head, in subordination 
to him who is not now visible. I pretend not to 
defend manifest imperfections, for which I see no remedy. 
I believe our church is subjected to the very best polity 
for a worldly society ; but presume not that it is perfect. 
Yet possibly as perfect as it could be made, before our 
Lord's own relurn in his glorified person. 

Hermit. My friends, I must announce to you, that 
to-morrow will be Sunday. It is my practice to prepare 
two sermons from some able divines, to read in our little 
chapel to such of my neighbors as may choose to assem- 
ble for worship ; to put these in such language as they 
can easily understand, and remove all obscure phrases 
and expressions, costs me generally full two hours; 
therefore, as I think Academicus has elicited from The- 
ophilus enough to show that the present practice of 
christian associations is far departed from the scripture 
standard, I think we may take advantage of Theophi- 
lus' ingenuous admissions, to make out a tolerable sum- 
mary of our present position in the question of church 
government; but it will be much easier to myself to 
trace it up from its very foundations, and leave you to 
apply what has passed, as may then suggest itself to 
you. 

Rusticus. I was indeed prepared to justify the pres- 
byterian form of church government against the episco- 
pacy of Theophilus, by weapons which he has furnished ; 
out will gladly defer what I had to say, to hear from Mr. 
Hermit, a regular and connected view of the subject ; 
and then my friends may sooner bring their discussion to 
a close also — and as our host claims some time to himself 
this evening to prepare for Sunday's service of worship, 



59 

praise and prayer in public, I propose that we now defer 
the subject until to-morrow evening. 

All. Agreed. 

Hermit. And may the blessing of our Lord God, 
even Jesus Christ, be with us all. Amen. 



SEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

Theophilus. I thank you heartily, Hermit, for the 
treat of this day. The first services 1 have attended in 
the simple form of a parish church in England, and your 
congregations were so particularly attentive, and your 
sermons so well chosen, and the language so plain. I 
observed also, (which but for our conversations, I should 
not have observed.) your great care to press the divinity, 
nay, the full Godhead of Jesus Christ, on their notice ; 
a particular on which our divines speak with reserve and 
even obscurity too often. I should indeed have fancied 
a leaning to the New Jerusalem church of Swedenborg, 
if I had not observed, that in the liturgy, you were care- 
ful to use the prescribed ritual literally ; and I think 
you told us, that yourself and others of your congregation 
have a bishop's license as lay readers. And your prayer 
for a regularly ordained minister to be given to you by 
our Lord, by his gracious providence, indicates so decid- 
ed an attachment to our church, that I do not hesitate to 
claim you fur a true son of England's church. 

Hermit. Perhaps your opinion on this subject may be 
staggered before next Sunday. But I will not detain you 
now, by many observations. ITou spoke of Swedenborg ; 
he was an amiable man, and was undoubtedly favored by 
some extraordinary spiritual gifts; his sect too are, so far 
as f have seen them, amiable people all : but his faith and 
my own are so decidedly the same, as to the fullness of the 
Godhead, in our blessed Lord and Saviour, (whose name 
be ever praised.) that I am not surprised that my tenaci- 
ty on this corner-stone of our faith should have struck 
you, particularly surrounded as we are by hosts, who 
under the name of Unitarians and some of the fort}'- sects 
of Baptists, who have made shipwreck of their faith by 
stumbling at this rock of offence. But- this apostacy 
renders it only more imperative in us to oppose even 
our feeble voices against this soul-destroying heresy. 
We indeed have all of us avowed ourselves as Sweden- 



60 

borg did, true Unitarians. We worship one only God, 
who was manifested in Jesus Christ ; the same as the 
God of Israel, who was manifested in the pillar of a 
cloud and fire on Sinai, and on the mercy-seat in the She- 
kina ; but we are driven to take shelter under the name 
of Trinitarians, lest we should be supposed to hold any 
fellowship with those who deny their Lord, who bought 
them. But Swedenborg's manifest (to me) error of Hy- 
meneus and Philetus, who, with a great body of calvin- 
ists, delight in spiritualizing away common sense from 
the language of scripture, and say the resurrection is 
past already, confounding it with spiritual conversion, 
independent also of baptism — from these and all other 
errors of doctrine, faith, and practice, I pray our Lord to 
preserve us all. True wisdom and true religion is the 
art of discrimination, to separate the precious from the 
vile. 

Academicus. I do hope, Mr. Hermit, you will now 
indulge us with at least, a summary of your views of 
church government; 1 think Theophilus has suffered 
shipwreck in the very act of launching his bark, church 
government, and I am skeptical enough to doubt even? 
your skill to save her. 

Hermit. We had better proceed with our record open 
before us, and begin at Luke xxiv. 49, and read to the 
end. We see that the five hundred who witnessed hif* 
ascension, at fifty-second verse, worshipped. What? 
the Jews, who were, and are so tenacious of offering 
worship to any creature which is due only to God, 
" They worshipped him." Their law, under the most 
severe penalties, forbids any worship except to the God 
of Israel, the Lord of hosts. This then was he, by their 
judgment, as well as mine ; but in verse fifty-three 
"praising and blessing God;" what God? Even the 
" Amen." This was the name, the very name of our 
Lord, as declared to John in his epistle to the church of 
Laodicea, and I must inform you, is the very name by 
which he always announced himself in the gospels, the 
unchangeable name on which alone we might fill a 
volume. See John iii, where we translate the word amen, 
the name of the Lord, by the word verily, the meaning 
of which, is in truth contained in the word amen, and 
much more. If the word amen had been suffered to 
stand in our translation of the gospels where it ought to 
stand, that is, wherever the word " verily" is put for it, 
then truly would that one word demonstrate the Almigh- 



61 

ty Godhead of the Amen ; even Jesus Christ, (blessed be 
the name.) See John iii. Nicodemus came to him to 
know who he was, first acknowledging that God must 
be with him, or he could not do the works he did. Je- 
sus answered, " Amen, Amen, I say unto thee, &c." 
which may thus be put, " Amen I, Amen, say unto thee, 
&c." and so in every other place. Now Nicodemus 
knew well that this was a name of the God of Israel, 
by which in all their covenants between God and man, 
and between man and man, he was invoked to bear wit- 
ness of their truth, and which when so used, it was used 
in the same sense to confirm their oaths, and attest their 
acts and prayers, &c. &c, which we have preserved 
some remains of in our forms of last will, when we be- 
gin them in the name of God, amen. It is also the sign 
manual of our Lord to attest the authenticity of all the 
books of the New Testament, being appended thereto by 
the dictation of the Holy Ghost, except only the epistle 
of James. By this unchangeable name the Egyptians 
even knew him, as seen by the numerous times of its 
recurrence in their tables of hieroglyphics, and I shall 
not wonder if we find it among the Tartars and Chinese, 
as it exists among all other nations of the east, and I 
doubt not, among the Aborigines of this continent, who 
are, with much reason, believed to be a remnant of the 
lost ten tribes. After these few remarks on the name 
" Amen," I will recommend it to Academicus to pursue 
and trace out this word, in his lucubrations among the 
heavy tomes he has yet to wade through. 

We must, after this slight exposition, wonder at the 
puerility of our two authorized meanings for it, viz : 
" Verily," and " So be it." How will you, Theophilus, 
excuse your priests who are so tenacious of their tradi- 
tional privileges, and yet have lost and buried the very 
name of our God under their traditions ? 

I have hinted at this name before, but here it is neces- 
sary to show forth the God of Christians, to whom their 
worship is due, by the names which he himself assumed, 
before we speak of the ministry and forms by which we 
w T orship him; and the kind of worship is defined by our 
Lord himself, with all our power, mind, body and soul, 
person and goods, for these are all his gifts in the first 
place in our natural father Adam, who lost them by dis- 
obedience, to Satan, from whom our blessed Lord and 
God redeemed them by his own blood. This much I 
G 



62 

have deemed it necessary to premise at the outset une- 
quivocally. 

Theophilus. My dear Hermit, you have opened to 
us such an immense new field for research, for deep 
thought and wonder, that I can hardly fancy that I have 
ever yet been at school. O what a new and interesting 
feature does your explanation give to the loud Amen, 
which each Sabbath echoes through our churches ! I 
never heard a word of this before, but I think you men- 
tioned Tilloch's Essay on the language of the Apocalypse 
as containing something of the names. 

Hermit. I did so, but on Amen he has not much — 
The travellers here interrupted their host, and begged 
he would proceed to comment further on this most im- 
portant word, Amen, and would assist them to pursue it 
in the Bible texts. Much desultory conversation pass 
ed, superfluous to repeat. Academicus wished further 
demonstration that the view Hermit had taken was cor- 
rect, and Rusticus said he had always almost considered 
it as a word merely to keep a congregation in time and 
tune, of scarcely any meaning, and of no import. Such 
a one as the word " Selah " in the Psalms, for which no 
meaning was yet found, and therefore it was thought by 
some to be a musical note, containing no important 
sense ; and Theophilus seemed somewhat mortified that 
he knew so little about this word, which made him ap- 
pear in his own eyes, ignorant on a subject on which he 
thought himself conversant in all the details. Hermit, 
to gratify his guests, traced the word through all the Bi- 
ble, and opened to them some of the wonderful mysteries 
in the book of Revelation, and pointed out that it was not 
by any peculiar wisdom of his own that he had been able 
to develope the full meaning, even so far as shown, but 
that by God's grace and the spirit in him, he had been 
assisted to the best authorities ; that it had not escaped 
notice even of the Roman papists, who accused our 
translators of not knowing the meaning of the word, 
which in their Rheims Testament they rightly preserved 
for the most part in its unchangeable form. So also the 
Latin vulgates, and all the Greek versions, and indeed 
all others, (except the modern translations of Protestants) 
left this word, Amen, wherever it occurred, in its origi- 
nal Hebrew form, in which form, as he had before told 
them, it even to this day exists in all the Eastern lan- 
guages, in Latin and in Greek. Theophilus declared 
that Hermit's full comments on that one word was worth 



63 

• 
the whole expense and trouble of their voyage. Aca- 
demicus said he thought himself a christian before, now 
he knew it. And Rusticus said he should never again 
respond the Amen, without thinking of the Hermit, and 
he hoped too, more devoutly of his God, even our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Amen 

This conversation and Bible research, comparison of 
versions, &c. &c, took up the whole evening, and they 
separated. The travellers delighted as much as if they 
had discovered a mine. 



EIGHTH CONVERSATION. 

Hermit. My friends, the snow-storm has set in so se- 
riously that it will be impossible to move out of doors 
with any pleasure. Breakfast being over, I propose to 
you to adjourn to my Library, where we shall be undis- 
turbed, either with the occupations of the house, or by 
visiters. There we can resume our discussion of the 
principles of church government, and if need be, have 
there some authorities of note for reference. (The party 
repaired to the Library.) 

Academicus. I thank you most sincerely Hermit, for 
this remedy for a bleak and dismal North-American win- 
ter's day, and for your evident desire to make our sojourn 
as agreeable, interesting and instructive as possible. I 
was so much delighted last night by the manner you 
treated the one word " Amen," that 1 fancy now, I then 
thought myself inspired for the first time with its clear 
spirit, Truth. But alas ! my skeptical or rebel spirit this 
morning suggests a want of something more. In the 
very first preaching of the Apostles, not only before but 
after the gift of the Holy Ghost, there is maintained all 
through the record of their acts, an ambiguity of expres- 
sion ; and the only doctrine professed by the Ethiopian 
or propounded by the Apostles was, that Jesus Christ 
was the Son of God, not that he was himself God. You 
have shown by hundreds of texts and places, that he 
really was and is the Almighty, the only God, and no 
one acknowledging the truth of Scripture, can deny it. 
But at the same time we must confess that the Apostles 
have every where maintained and inculcated the idea, 
that the Almighty power of our Lord was a delegated 
power from another being, who stands in the relation of 



64 

• 
a Father to him ; and as a Son, a different being from the 
Father, to whom (viz. the Father) there can be no ques- 
tion our worship is due, and to none other. For he says 
his honor will he not give to another, and that he is very- 
jealous of this point. I presume the obscurity occasioned 
by this dependence of the Son, for being, for power, and 
for every thing, cannot have been intended as a veil, and 
as a sort of touchstone of faith, because at the death of 
this our Lord, the veil was rent, and the Holy of Holies 
was laid open to men's view ; and ignorant creatures as 
we are, we seemed forced by necessity, not by presump- 
tion, to push our inquiries into the Holy of Holies, viz. 
into the very nature of God, so to say, which no man, 
with the fear of God, would otherwise presume to do. 

Hermit. You have touched the only point of real dif- 
ficulty to Jew and Gentile ; nor can I be supposed to be 
capable (uninspired as I am, although I believe I have 
the Holy Spirit, but no supernatural knowledge beyond 
the written word) to explain how a difference can exist 
whilst I am maintaining the identity of God the Father, 
the Holy Spirit, and the Son. Nevertheless, I am of 
opinion that it is a duty we owe each other, to hold our 
spiritual goods in common, and not to hide from each 
other as brethren in Christ our Lord, any of our doubts 
and difficulties, either as to doctrines, precept or practice. 
What then is revealed ? That Jesus Christ was the Son 
of Mary, a virgin by the Almighty power of God gene- 
rated, not by a human father. Therefore, as a man, 
Jesus Christ was the Son of God by a human mother. 
In this sense he was then the Son of God ; he was not 
then manifested either as God, or as the temple of God, 
or as the special dwelling-place which he, God, had 
built and prepared for himself. But as the legal son of 
Joseph, and as the real son of Mary, he was truly, ac- 
cording to human modes of speech, son of man, son of 
David. As a man, (for he maintained his human char- 
acter till his death,) he was baptized, although spotless 
(when we speak of baptism we may have some observa- 
tions to make hereon.) That was the day when the Holy 
Spirit of Almighty God descended on him, visibly to 
John at least, and that day was proclaimed as the day on 
which he was begotten, and as the Son of God, by open 
voice of God himself. His previous life had been mani- 
fested only as a man, in perfect subjection to God, even 
as all other men ; but from his baptism to his death, he 
had all the power of God his Father, as proved by his 



65 

works. Yet still as son of man he was obedient even 
unto death, &c. But it would seem only as he himself as 
the Son. man should ask this power Almighty. Yet he 
often uses it as his own, without reference to God the 
Father, because he had received this power from his 
Father. And he says expressly, whatever ye shall ask 
of the Father in my name, /will do it. Indeed his whole 
gospel history proves that he was from his baptism (at 
least) God Almighty, as before shown. But the seeming 
ambiguity may easily be imagined necessary to prevent 
the notion among the Jews, that some other God was to 
be worshipped than he who was revealed at Sinai, when 
the command was given to worship no other. Nor could 
he have more openly manifested his Godhead, without 
banishing from his familiar intercourse all his mortal 
friends. The indwelling God, whilst in communion with 
his own creatures, was necessarily veiled by a form that 
he had assumed, with all the characters of their own 
bodies ; the God within was beyond the ken of the crea- 
ture, except by his works ; his creatures could only 
speak of him in the human character, as the man Jesus; 
and the point of faith was to acknowledge that he, as a 
man, was the Son of God and the only Son of God, and 
as such was by right of birth entitled to exercise in all 
its plentitude the power of God his Father. And now, 
carrying our inquiries into all his w T orks, and the com- 
munications from God Almighty as to this his Son, we 
find, that all the works of the creation, that every attri- 
bute and character ascribed to God every where, are at- 
tributed to this Son, whose existence spiritually is declar- 
ed to have been eternal. In speaking of Jesus Christ as 
the Son of God, in speaking of the glorified man Christ 
Jesus, now taken into union with the Eternal Spirit, 
there are not two persons ; but two beings they certainly 
were, making one Christ, that is, God and man, as dis- 
tinct from each other as the human soul and body, which 
every man can feel and none explain. Both these may 
now be said to be absorbed into one Almighty power, 
which w T e call God. 1 fear, my friends, I have succeeded 
ill, and shall be obliged by any better explanation ; for 
among my congregation are some calling themselves 
f* the christian band," who really do seem to stumble at 
this point, which I think cannot be got over in any way 
so well as proceeding to the thousand positive proofs, 
that this very Son of God, Son of man, is one God to 
6* 



66 

c 

the glory of God the Father ; and if God at all he must 
be God all in all, and the only Gcd Almighty. Amen. 

All. Amen. 

Theophilus. Well, I must now think we are all quite 
decided on this grand point of faith and doctrine, and [ 
sincerely hope Academicus will find no more knots until 
we get through the question now on hand, church-gov- 
ernment, which in my view is of little less importance 
than the points settled. By the by, I have noticed that 
the christian band you spoke of seem to have gathered 
into one focus, some Socinianism, much Calvinism, and 
all the errors of Baptists, with a self-appointed ministry 
only. 

Academicus. I have read some of the productions of one 
W. W. Eaton, who gives long extracts from one Alexander 
Campbell, a great writer, a very clear one, but to me not 
convincing. This sect, who have assumed that they can 
reason all the world into one opinion, and that opinion 
theirs, seems to have derived little knowledge of the na- 
ture of man by their close and abstract studies of the 
word of life. It does appear to me that they are in great 
error, and I can hardly, off-hand, explain how or where- 
in. When we have disposed of church government, we 
may be more at leisure to inquire a little into their pecu- 
liarities. Certainly, I think their writers very clever and 
any thing but superstitious. 

Rusticus. I have noticed some of this people who 
call themselves christians. Some of them are decided 
Arians. Most of them seem to have piety, and tinctured 
with Phariseeism, and their leaders are very disputatious. 
They think they can subdue the world to their rule ; but 
they are too sectarian ever to succeed, I should think, on 
a large scale, nor are they disposed to attend any other 
than their own meetings, and their own self-elected pas- 
tors, and shun even the ordinary church services. Else- 
where, they seem so opinionated as to suppose that all 
other christians can have nothing to impart; and their 
faith does not effect the proper attention to the Sabbath, 
nor among the igno ant of their sect, to common good 
faith in worldly matters. Their works do not answer 
their high pretensions, however self-eulogized. 

Hermit. I am glad to have heard your notions on 
these christians. 1 confess I see very much to please me 
in Mr. Eaton's monthly pamphlet, and have really deriv- 
ed much scriptural information from it. We will here- 
after discuss this association more closely ; in the mean- 



67 

time let us proceed with my views on church govern- 
ment in its general signification, as to the dominion, rule 
or authority vested in certain offices held by certain 
members, ibr the ordinary ministration of church ordi- 
nances, and the extraordinary administration of the sa- 
craments. 

That by the revelation to John, there is a spiritual 
court in Heaven, viz : ubiquitous, every where present, 
is clear. Perhaps the pomp of human courts, and of 
kings particularly, was formed on this divine model, 
seems tome certain, however known or revealed to men. 
Our Lord in this Court, in this Kingdom, is King, sole 
Monarch, so constituted by his indwelling Father. He 
governs the heavens and the earth ; the spirits and the 
bodies of all men. But although by his providence, 
which embraces every contingency of human actions, 
and makes them subserve his will, yet he compels not 
one spirit in man to worship him and openly to profess 
his faith in him, which faith 1 take to be a conviction 
and certitude that he, our Lord and God, is able and wil- 
ling, and most certainly will perform all that he has 
promised to do, and that those promises recorded in holy 
writ are his truly, and that he will, in his own good 
time, subdue the spirits and bodies of all men to his only 
power. 

This spiritual Court manifested to John in vision, is, 
perhaps, the heavenly Jerusalem. I say perhaps, because 
I believe it is not so said any where in express terms ; 
but the symbols of the temple find therein their prototype, 
therefore, as the pattern of the temple is there, that is, or 
may well be so esteemed, the spiritual, the heavenly Je- 
rusalem, the seat of that government to which all good 
spiritual christians must be subject. 

The holy spirit of our Lord, and our Lord in body is 
every where, fills the heaven's universal space ; there- 
fore, every where we invoke, we praise, and we worship 
him, and Almighty power or God in him, and all the 
world, matter and spirit, must acknowledge him, for in 
him and by his power only they exist or have any being. 

But in a closer and more particular sense he is ever 
present with his own family, as a parent; even with all 
the care and solicitude of the kindest parents : — and of 
his family are all christians; not the self-styled, but those 
who obey his commands, and thus do the will of his 
Father. As he has promised in those few most impres- 
sive words, "Lo ! I am with you always. 



^8 

I hate strife and controversy, but a word here may at 
least serve to show my views of this Eternal Presence, 
this Immanuelism. Some moderns explain this by his 
general providence, by his universal power. But surely 
in this sense he has ever been with man, has never left 
him since the creation. The promise must, therefore, 
have meant something more than this, " Lo ! I am with 
you always, even to the end of all ages. ,T An example 
of this special presence, he gave the Apostles, when in 
spite of bolts and bars, he appeared among his disciples, 
and convinced even Thomas of his omnipresence ; that 
he is ever present every where, and ever regards with 
special attention, love and favor his own peculiar people, 
even those who acknowledge and humble themselves 
before his Almighty power, who serve, obey and love 
him in truth, and in simplicity and sincerity of heart. 
The Lord Jesus then is the head of his church, 
viz : of his family, in a special sense. He is the Bishop, 
or overseer, or guardian of our spirits and bodies, even of 
our souls. This is the first great principle of church 
government. Nay more, what the w 7 orld fails to notice, 
he is our King also, and should be as much acknowledged 
as supreme in temporal things as he is in spiritual, and as 
all acknowledge God to be in eternal things. All this, 
my friends, is as capable of demonstration as any prob- 
lem in Euclid, from the scriptures; but in these free de- 
velopements of our opinions, we need not enlarge our 
discourses with superfluous (quotations and verbal criti- 
cisms. 

He sent his Apostles., not to rule his church and peo- 
ple, for the rule and government he will not give out of 
his own hands, nor his honor to another, but to teach and 
minister, to instruct and to serve, because of our child- 
like weakness ; and still the sub-mediatorial ministration 
was to be continued as among the Israelites, when even 
Moses greatly feared and trembled at the terrific majesty 
manifested by the Eternal, Jehovah, even our Lord, and 
the people begged that he might speak to God for them, 
and they would do whatever God commanded by the 
same Moses. Aaron and his family, as a figure of our 
Lord, was then appointed ; but when our Lord appeared 
to assume his own office, as our prophet and priest, then 
was the Aaronic priesthood destroyed ; it was put to 
death at the destruction of Jerusalem, and has never 
since been revived, except in the Satanic usurpation of 
the early christian pastors, who were seduced by the 



61) 

power, pomp, dignity and wealth which were offered 
them by Satan ; they could not withstand the temptation, 
and fell from their high and far more glorious privileges, 
even miraculous powers, Mark xvi. — the sure and only 
signs of true faith on earth ; without these signs of an 
Apostle no church could be established, Romans i. 11. 
And thus Paul, not Peter, established the Roman church, 
by communicating spiritual gifts. See in his Epistles his 
different style of address to the established churches, 
and to the saints, with no church establishment. A 
church so established by Apostolic signs of their com- 
mission from our Lord to do so, might extend her cords, 
and strengthen her stakes, by natural propagation. She 
may have daughters but no sisters, but those begotten 
like herself of the Lord by special messengers, or Apos- 
tles, or by special gifts, the same thing. 

What authority then had the Apostles ? In matters of 
faith all authority, purely spiritual, but no temporal 
power whatever. They could lead, teach, exhort, but 
not drive, dogmatize or command, but as they were com- 
manded by our Lord, who has adopted us all into his own 
family ; members all of his body, by the same bond of 
affiliation ; and although we be not all sons of the same 
mother, yet are we of the same father, and as such as 
much one family as the Patriarchs. Thus, whatever the 
denomination of a christian, by which a sect may distin- 
guish itself, and I am decidedly averse to calling our- 
selves by any other name than of Christ, whether of 
Paul, Apollos or Cephas, still we are all brethren, the 
spiritual descendants of the Apostles and of Abraham, 
although forgetting Joseph's advice to his brethren, we 
fall out by the way. 

Personal miraculous powers or gifts ceased, it would 
seem, very early, or immediately on the decease of the 
Apostles ; but not so in the congregations or churches 
of the faithful, and I believe it has pleased our Lord to 
continue a spiritual communication with many of them 
even to this our own day. For one such chureh I have 
seen myself, heard the last sermon of the pastor, and saw 
him put into his coffin and grave at the age of eighty-eight; 
but very lately in the suburbs of London, under the name 
of" the House of God," a little society was formed, their 
minister was really called and chosen by name, by open 
revelation from the spiritual world ; seven elders, also, 
all anointed to their office, and also by name appointed 
by open revelation. These revelations were continued 



70 

openly, sometimes in the presence of two hundred wit- 
nesses, and often to as few as six or seven, for the most 
part thrice a day, at morning noon and evening prayer, 
in different houses for more than four years ; their litur- 
gical form of worship prescribed on the model of our Lit- 
urgy ; and all through much tribulation from the world 
without, yet free access never forbidden to any in the 
name of Christ the Lord. 

I have had access to many of their records, for which 
we have even stronger testimony, internal and external, 
than we have for the holy scriptures. 

Near forty years have now elapsed since this church 
was formed under the direction of special revelation, by 
messages from the Lord himself, by angelic messengers, 
and the blessed spirits of men in angel form, their an- 
nunciations being, " Thus saith the Lord," " Thus saith 
the Lord Jehovah," " Thus saith Jehovah," and, indeed, 
in every form of prophetic annunciation; and generally 
closed with, "Thus saith the angel of God," and some- 
times closed with, " Thus saith the Lord." These mes- 
sages were always written down from the dictation of the 
heavenly messenger ; and many visions given and ver- 
bally described, and even drawn very similar in charac- 
ter, to John's vision, in the Apocalypse, or book of reve- 
lation. 

I possess, and will show you near a hundred of those- 
messages , many of them are indescribably sublime, but 
one of them I have by me, given in the presence of the 
twelve elders (for this little church added other five to 
the seven divinely named) and their wives, 7th Septem- 
ber, 1806, Sunday evening. 

li Dearly beloved, who on earth do dwell, 
Though now in heaven, once I fought with hell ; 
Like you I trembled, and poured out my prayer, 
And all my griefs, into Jehovah's ear ; 
/ But final perseverance brought me through — 
Then loosed from prison, my soul to Jesus flew. 
Open your eyes, and look within the vail 
To Him, who hath passed his word to seal 
Your redemption ! O ! trust his word, 
And prove the efficacy of his saving blood. 
Thus saith the angel of God." 

Most of the messages were delivered in verse, some 
of them near two hours long ; this message in particular 



71 

caught my eye, among a volume of them, because it ex- 
plained what I was in some measure before in some un- 
certainty about, and indeed skeptical. The intermediate 
state I had always fancied, the beatific vision, to savor of 
Pagan tradition, — and had been hardy enough to assert 
it, although I might have learnt better from John him- 
self, in his apocalyptic vision. It pleased God thus to 
satisfy me. I have found numerous other notices of the 
same, through other channels, since, and so far my faith 
is, I believe, more perfect and correct. We will not 
dwell on these revelations in these last days, but come 
straight to the conclusion, so far as it relates to our sub- 
ject. I have been more particular in relating this fact, 
to meet the infidel spirit which is abroad in all the sects. 
Almost all deny that any miraculous revelations have 
been given to men since John's days. But where have 
we any such notice ? On the contrary, what means the 
promise to be always with us? to give us his spirit to 
govern and guide us ? Sensibly I must suppose, for if 
merely insensibly by natural means, how can we guard 
against the mere fancies of men, or suggestions of 
devils? And the signs that are promised to follow faith, 
or christian belief, are they not all miraculous ? and 
where is the man now who claims them ? Yet if really 
called by our Lord to his ministry, would they not be so 
endowed? Jn the Church of Rome, the Pope ordains 
without exacting the proofs of faith. In the Church of 
England, the Queen appoints the bishops, and commands 
a mock election ; the bishops ordain without referring 
to our Lord at all. The cares of souls are claimed as 
the property of men. The Presbyterians never refer to 
proofs of heavenly mission, and are self-called, their 
synods, assemblies, &c, usurping the powers of the 
Lord, to send laborers into his vineyard. The sectarians 
are all self-called, and ordained by like associations, self- 
appointed, all — all except, perhaps, the Moravians, 
usurping our Lord's authority. Thus we have dethron- 
ed him from his spiritual office as bishop of our souls, 
even more decidedly than we have from his government 
as our temporal king. I need not, my friends, pursue 
this subject into all its ramifications and details, but in 
truth, if our Lord were now to come in his Father's 
glory to his kingdom, would he find faith on the earth ? 

The conclusion, then, is manifest. No minister can 
be esteemed, or ought to be esteemed as sent by our 
Lord specially, who has not his sensibly manifested au- 



72 

thority to show for it. Two ways are pointed out in 
scripture, one, miraculous gifts, the other by lot, after 
proper prayer and fasting in churches established and 
having spiritual gifts, vi;s : such miraculous powers. But 
where is the man who now would dare to put his Lord 
to this test of his approval, from the Bishop to the mean- 
est Baptist ranter ? Well then may we question the di- 
vine authority of any of these, from John Inglis to Ben- 
jamin Howard, or the numerous absolutely illiterate pre- 
tenders of this country and these times. Fear them not, 
my friends ; all such who claim the monopoly of certain 
ordinances in our Lord's church, are usurpers of our 
Lord's authority. 

Theophilus. I will confess, Mr. Hermit, that as you 
seemed in a former conversation to predict, my faith in 
your orthodoxy is much shaken. Yet I cannot deny 
either your premises or your conclusions ; and if I had 
not known that you had never met Academicus before, 
J should have concluded you had studied in the same 
school, for you have clearly come to the object of his 
skeptical cross-questioning two evenings ago. 1 cannot, 
however, leave our church entirely without defence. 
Our bishops, although appointed to their dioceses by 
royal mandate, must have been already in priest's orders. 
They are chosen still from the successors to the apostles, 
by direct descent according to earthly ordinances, unex- 
ceptionable, and as appointed by our apostle Paul him- 
self, and as approved by traditional custom ; and it is 
taken for granted, and has been so for now about seven- 
teen hundred years, that there is no further occasion, — 
therefore our Lord does not vouchsafe miraculous or su- 
pernatural notices of his will, since we have now his 
word open before us, by which that will may be known ; 
and we must not forget, that our church was not founded 
on even any of the writings of the New Testament, but 
was purely traditional for some ages. In this it is the very 
reverse of the Hebrew church, as founded by Moses, in 
whose law, I believe, a divine precept was given for 
every case that could happen to an Israelite ; and unless 
found written in that law, was of no obligation. Not so 
we. Christ is our law, his word our gospel, — and this 
was handed down in the church by tradition, and by the 
teaching of the Holy Spirit. The books of the New Testa- 
ment, you know, were not written, even Matthew's 
Syriac Gospel, (not now in existence,) for twelve or four- 
teen years after our Lord's resurrection. The book of 



73 

Revelations, which seems to have been published before 
all the others, until about the year 60 ; and the rest be- 
tween this and the year 67 or 69, except John's Gospel 
and Epistles, which might have been as late as 90 or 
95. But it is w 7 ell known that the christian religion was 
known and preached in all the then known world long 
before those last-named days, and that the gospels and 
epistles in their present shape did not exist for many 
years afterwards, and many of the books did not exist 
at all in many of the churches, — and in some of them, 
perhaps, none at all; and this state of things exists at 
the present day in many churches in the east, where the 
faith in our Lord and his gospel is still upheld by tradi- 
tion, for the most part, or by books scarcely readable by 
the priests themselves. It is, therefore, absurd to expect 
precise rules of conduct to be laid in those books, for 
every social and religious duty in detail ; this knowledge 
was given to every church at its establishment ; a church 
could not then be established without direct authority 
from the Lord by the holy spirit. But the original 
churches being established, and the gift of the spirit 
once communicated to it, was left as shown in Mark iv. 
to propagate itself by purely natural means, aided by the 
insensible operations of the holy spirit, not by supernat- 
ural means, until our Lord shall again come in the glo- 
rious majesty of the eternal powder almighty, to establish 
a new dispensation. 

I shall mention three well-known cases ; women par- 
take of the sacramental supper : we christians of gentile 
origin, keep the first of the w 7 eek holy instead of the 
seventh, and infants are baptized into the name and 
family of our Lord. For none of these usages of the 
church catholic, have we any unequivocal or indisputa- 
ble authority in the New T Testament; but common sense 
and tradition justify fully all these customs of the church. 
So also I must maintain of the priesthood, the holy or- 
ders are of apostolic origin, established at first, by divine 
authority, and continued by traditional usage through 
every generation, according to rules then established by 
the apostles and by our Lord's own authority, even 
down to the present day, and hour, and all such I must 
esteem to have our Lord's own authority for their min- 
istry, even without other special signs of their calling 
thereto. 

Hermit. I hope, my friend Theophilus. that Academ- 
ic us will answer your ingenious defence of the ministry, 



74 

in every one of your positions. 1 myself, have much 
more to say, but now would prefer listening". 

Academicus. My friend Theophilus and I, have 
never before been so determinately at issue, and indeed 
I think his arguments for episcopal orders so unsatisfac- 
tory, (although 1 believe them to be the best current 
justification at present urged in their defence,) that eVen 
1, who rather seek to get than to give information, and 
can presume to no profound knowledge, shall find little 
difficulty in refuting the reasoning urged. Since my 
friend Hermit has imposed this task on me, 1 must be 
allowed to proceed in my own humble way, colloquially • 
Pray, Theophilus, has the Roman church this divine 
ministry ? 

Theophilus. So far as the human succession to the 
apostles goes, they certainly have. 

Academicus. Does this succession give full autho- 
rity for the monopoly of the administration of the ordi- 
nances and sacraments, this right being supported by 
traditional usage, and not by gospel testimony, as in the 
written word ? 

Theophilus. Had they not corrupted the traditional 
testimony, and apostatized from the primitive simple 
faith and practice, both in their professions of faith and 
administrations of the ordinances, I should think their 
divine right to exercise all the offices and privileges of 
the ministry unquestionable. 

Academicus. You have not my dear Theophilus 
answered my question, but have begged another. 

Theophilus. You have placed me in a dilemma; for 
if I answer unequivocally, yes or no, in either case I 
give testimony against my own position ; for if their au- 
thority is from our Lord, why do we reject their minis- 
try ? If not, it destroys our claim to divine authority 
likewise : but 1 have limited my answer, so as to make 
their apostacy a sufficient reason for denying their di- 
vine authority, without questioning their human de- 
scent 

Academicus. Then the apostacy or falling away from 
the true faith, is reason enough for breaking the chain of 
apostolic succession, as to any rights or privileges they 
might otherwise rightly claim ? 

Theophilus. I am forced to affirm this. 

Academicus. These ministerial rights and privileges 
then, so fir as they depend on the apostolic succession, 
were justly considered as being usurpations on our Lord's 



75 

authority at the reformation, and long before, and the 
claim of the Roman ministry to them, justly rejected ? 

THEormms. Yes. 

Academicus. Then, if they had no rightful autho- 
rity, they could transmit none? 

Theophilus. 1 am forced to concur in this. I con- 
sider the line of pure tradition interrupted by apostacy. 

Academicus. Then whence have our priesthood the 
authority they claim? 

Theophilus. There does indeed, at first view, seem 
some inconsistency here, but I must be allowed to ex- 
plain, that even- as a sinner may repent, and turn again 
to the Lord, and then would stand in his original call- 
ing, even so the ministry, repenting of their apostacy, 
may resume their standing in holy orders; thus we do 
not ordain over again a Roman priest who embraces our 
reformed faith and practice. The church of England is 
the church purged of its popish errors, and has there- 
fore all the rights and privileges of the original divine 
calling. And so would the papal church; it might yet 
live, if it would turn from its wickedness. 

Academicus. Now my good Theophilus. you have 
shifted your ground, and taken up a new position ; we 
had better defer our debate until to-morrow : -our host's 
time is past. 

Hermit. God bless you, my friends. Theophilus' 
chain having been broken hy Academicus, we shall have 
little difficulty with the other topics : so good night to 
you all. 



NINTH CONVERSATION. 

Hermit. My friends, the day is still boisterous and 
gloomy ; perhaps the continuation of our spiritual inqui- 
ries may be more agreeable than physical amusements, to 
which, in such weather, there is perhaps little temptation. 

Rusticus. I hope our friend Theophilus will contend 
no longer for the exclusiveness of episcopal ordination 
as to any privileges, as regards men, their brethren, both 
as men and christians; whethei those peculiar privileges 
be spiritual or temporal; nor do I see exactly, how the 
presbytery became possessed of similar self-claimed priv- 
ileges, and with the right to ordain to the ministry, 
and to give to that ministry peculiar rights and priv- 
ileges. And less still can I see how any other self-consti- 
tuted bodies of men can transmit rights, which them- 



76 

selves have not. Correct me, my friends, if I am wrongs 
but to me it seems that Calvin and his accomplices eith- 
er claimed the right to ordain to the presbytery by di- 
vine appointment, or by inheritance through the papacy, 
which had apostatized, or it was an usurpation of autho- 
rity which he had not of right by succession, and neither 
of these (except the first, 1 think both Academicus and 
Hermit seem to think,) are sufficient, or can justify any 
men in assuming any peculiar authority, spiritual or 
temporal, and they leave all men free, to submit to their 
authority or not, as seemeth good, right, or meet, to 
them. In short they are usurpations, and men are free 
to receive or to reject their yoke, so that no man, or 
body of men, woman, or body of women, can have any 
right to assume for themselves, or to nominate others to 
take on themselves the government or direction of any 
generation of men or christians, but by the direction, 
immediate and sensible, of our Lord himself, who has 
(if 1 understand the nature of the arguments, which have 
been somewhat diffuse.) promised signs, sufficiently sen- 
sible to all generations, of his special approval, if in good 
faith this be sought ; if so, the question of rightful church 
government is in a nut-shell Thus I presume that "the 
house of God," in Walworth, London, was properly 
constituted, (its congregation,) a church by our Lord's 
authority, as mentioned yesterday, by Hermit, both min- 
ister, and ministering elders being appointed, and spec- 
ially nominated (by name) by our Lord's authority, com- 
municated by a special and heavenly messenger, even 
" the angel of God." Yet I must presume from the pe- 
culiar temper of the times, that the special mission of 
Eli'as Carpenter, (the minister in question,) would not 
have been acknowledged by any pope, or head of any 
established church in Christendom, nor would he have 
received ministerial orders from any, on this legitimate 
plea; so that if our Lord be pleased to act independent 
of the shackles of human tradition, they will reject him, 
and will not have this man to rule over them. This 
"house of God" was, 1 suppose, an independent church, 
and says much for that sect or denomination. Are my 
conclusions correct, Mr. Hermit ? 

Hermit. We are all very much obliged to you, my 
dear Rusticus, by your very pretty summary of the evi- 
dence contained in our conversations ; but 1 fear that 
the independents, although very right in many things, 
may not be quite so in all ; the subject has been very 



Y7 

"well elucidated by Dr. Owen, who was "Cromwell's 
chaplain, and chancellor of Oxford. To his writings I 
must refer you all : he has folly tested the subject in 
every view of it that can be tiken. 

Theophilus. What! Mr. Hermit, do you conclude 
then, that there ape no churches in Christendom, proper- 
\y and legitimately constituted and established ? 

Hermit. I confess I know not one. Do you, my 
friend Theophilus, know of any ? if you do, describe 
them. I ha.ve not yet spoken of the senseless declara- 
tion required by every sect and denomination foi holy 
orders, that they believe they have a call from the Holy 
Ghost to the office, because this piece of presumption is, 
1 believe, common to all, without exception, and there- 
fore no argument from any one in particular can be 
drawn from it; in this I think even the independents are 
included. 

Theophilus. Surely, Mr. Hermit, there must be 
some legitimate mode, in your mind, of subjecting bod- 
ies of christians to church rule and government? 

Hermit. Dr. Owen has explained his views on 
the subject fully; I have views somewhat differing 
in method, not, C- think, in principle ; but before we 
enter on that, 1 fear your orthodox prejudices, my dear 
Theophilus, must submit to another shock, as the re- 
sult of our conversations so far, which is, that the 
present race of ministers, bishops, priests, and dea- 
cons, who have assumed a dominion over the consciences 
of Christ's heritage, are usurpers; that they have im- 
posed on all denominations of christians, a spiritual <ies~ 
potism most grievous, the which to exercise or submit to, 
is superstition, not religion ; so much the more fearful, 
as one and all, they appear to be brought into the min- 
istry, or rather rule over Christ's heritage by Satanic in- 
fluence and agency ; for the most part this is demonstra- 
ble, for we all admit that papacy in all its branches is 
antichristian, therefore Satanic. The bishops in our own 
church, for the most part, are chosen by, and for their 
political influence, or by pure favoritism — the powers 
of this world ; surely this is Satanic. Our priests are., 
or may be, nominated to cures of souls, because the ad- 
vowson is the gift, or the property of themselves, or 
some friendly patron. A genteel subsistence, rather 
than the salvation of souls, are, in our church, the mo- 
tives to an education for, and dedication to the ministry, 
so that mammon and not Christ is their tutelar God, 
7*- 



n 

Of the self-appointed sectarian ministers, they are 
many of them puiitanical enthusiasts, setting up a spe- 
cies of will-worship, and submission to spiritual influen- 
ces, of which they have no assurance (sensible or available 
to others) that they are not diabolical, and many of them 
ma} 7 be demonstrated to be so, if tested by the sword of 
the Spirit. This is indeed a woful but not an exagger- 
ated picture; for if our Lord were to come even this day, 
where would he find faith on the earth ? 

Academicus. My dear Hermit, many of my very 
best thanks for coming so readily and boldly to the just 
conclusion of the matter. My friend Theuphilus and I, 
should have beat round the bush for two or three days 
before we should have decided, if indeed we ever could 
have so decided. But pray, my good Hermit, do an- 
swer Theophilus' question, if it be only to let him down 
as easy as you can. 

Theophilus. Nrfy, my friend Academicus, we must 
not be too hasty, as 1 confess I was in asking Hermit to 
explain his views of the right mode of establishing 
christian associations, or churches, and subjecting them 
to lawful and scriptural discipline and government; the 
manner of choosing ministers; the authority and privi- 
leges, and orders, of such ministry, which seem to be 
the points on which we all desire some light. The doc- 
trines themselves, are subjects of quite another descrip- 
tion, however intimately connected they may be with 
church government and discipline. Before Hermit is 
pleased to indulge us by answering my last question to 
him, 1 would bring the case of the episcopalian church 
of the United States under your observation, in which 
all the objections of the Conge d'Elire, or mock election 
of the bishops, the royal mandate for their consecration, 
the human or temporal property, maintained in the cures 
of souls in every parish and congregation of the church 
of England, and other symptoms of Satanic influence in 
the appointments of ministers of Christ's flock, as so 
very strongly noticed by Hermit, are, it would seem, all 
remedied. This American daughter of the English 
church, seems to me perfectly purified and purged from 
those objections which were the result of necessity in 
the peculiar circumstances of the times of the reforma- 
tion. Our reformers were to choose between pope and 
king, as their head ; and although this was, perhaps, in 
Hermit's view, but " out of the frying-pan into the fire," 
yet the*resuils on the whole, have been glorious to our 
church, who may safely challenge the world for exam- 



* 9 

pies of true piety, scriptural learning, and christian 
charity, in her ministry, and so judging of the tree by 
the fruits, we might well question the judgment which 
Hermit has so forcibly pronounced as to that ministry, 
coming into their offices by Satanic influence. 

But if for argument's sake, the truth of the allegation 
be admitted, as regards the church of England, it can 
by no means apply to her American daughter in the 
United States j yet I admit freely, that to her younger 
daughters, or colonial bishopricks, similar objections do 
lie. 

The peculiarity then of the American episcopal church 
is, that it is incorporated as a temporal association or body 
corporate, having the right and power granted them to 
form for themselves, laws for their own spiritual govern- 
ment, and appointment of ministers, &c. &c, and are 
recognized as a body corporate by the States. I do not 
think Hermit had this American church in his eye, when 
he pronounced that fearful judgment as to satanic in- 
fluence. 

Hermit. It is very true, Theophilus, that the severe 
conclusion which 1 could not evade, as applying so man- 
ifestly to the church of England, does not so evidently 
apply to her fair American daughter. But the grand ob- 
jection does so ; the ordination of ministers takes place 
with them, on the mere confession or declaration of the 
candidate that he has a call, or is called by the holy ghost 
to take the office in question on him, and no sensible 
manifestation of our Lord's approval is ever sought. This 
defect did not escape the amiable, and wise, and truly 
apostolic bishop White, at the suggestion, I believe, of 
the very learned and good man, Granville Sharpe. But 
it must be presumed that it was a stone too heavy to lift 
in these times of universal apostacy. The existing gen- 
eration of ministers dared not to encounter the ordeal. 
They dared not subject their own orders to the risk of 
our Lord's declared will by the lot, and therefore could 
not make it their rule in future cases. Therefore, like 
all the rest, they enter not the fold by the door, but by 
climbing the wall, as all the other sects do. They are 
usurpers, and not of the family of the true shepherd, and 
in this sense, scripturally thieves and robbers. Never- 
theless, we must admit that the charge of satanic influ- 
ence is not so manifest in the American church as in her 
mother of England. As for your challenge in favor of 
your church, Theophilus, for charity, piety and learning, 



BO 

f am free to acknowledge the claim of your hierarchy to 
the warm eulogium, and it has long been a matter of 
wonder and grateful thanks, that our Lord has by his 
grace and overruling providence, caused a tree, planted 
in foul corruption, to produce so much good and pleas- 
ant fruit. It must, however, be confessed that it also 
produces much that is nauseous, bitter, and quite rotten. 

Rusticus. Why, friend Theuphilus, I was really ad- 
miring your able advocacy of the American church, and 
was preparing to put in a claim for the Calvinistic 
churches founded by the pilgrims in New England, but 
to my astonishment, I perceive you have come out of 
this, with scarcely a less fatal discomfiture. I am afraid 
therefore, to venture any panegyric on the puritan fa- 
thers in New England and their churches, for all seems 
to end in decided usurpation of authority over our Lord's 
heritage. What says Academicus ? 

Academicus. 1 have been only wondering how Her- 
mit manages to come to such unerring conclusions on 
grounds so clear, and manifest and simple ; and how 
blind we all seem to be. For to me, it now seems dear that 
no sect of christians seems to have much to boast over 
others, except the united brethren, (Moravians,) and that 
all have many errors from which they must recede, before 
we can have any hopes of general agreement, and that 
the itch for discriminating doctrines formed into pre- 
scribed rules of faith and practice lead us astray. The 
simple and single truth of all power, might, majesty, and 
dominion being now vested in the person of Jesus Christ 
to the glory of God the Father, in him only manifested, 
and the single rule of implicit submission to his govern- 
ment, in its childlike simplicity, seems the only creed and 
the only rule of practice christians need profess. 
Agreeing in these fundamentals, there would be no room 
for any difference of opinion. But to carry this princi- 
ple out into practice, we must beware of settling or de- 
ciding any differences by human authority, or by major- 
ity of voices; but in all subjects of doubt or difference, 
we must refer to our Lord himself to decide. Then and 
then only shall we become one fold, and have only one 
shepherd. 

Rusticus. Although this does seem necessarily to 
flow from Hermit's reasoning, yet I confess 1 cannot see 
how we are to get our Lord's decision on any question, 
however important ; for I believe it is a point now grant- 
ed by all sects of christians, that the days of miracles are 



81 

passed. There is now no open vision, or prophecy in Is- 
rael ) there is nothing to be added to the canon of scrip- 
ture, as it is published, no new revelation to be of any 
authority among christians, since the close of the Apoc- 
alyptic vision of John, which is the last revelation to be 
expected by men, until the second coming of our Lord in 
glory ; and indeed the denunciation at the end of that 
vision , " if any man shall add to the words of this book." 
&c. &c, has been interpreted to man, that if any shall 
presume to publish, or even to receive any new revela- 
tion, that is, any heavenly or spiritual communication, 
he will be subject to the imprecation quoted. Before Her- 
mit explains his views of church government, I should 
much like to hear his opinion on these points, viz : What 
foundation has the belief that our Lord will not now dis- 
pense the power of working miracles ; that his operations 
in spiritual and temporal affairs, is now by his provi- 
dence, (general providence,) only : that no revelations 
from him are now necessary or to be expected ; that in 
truth, we are now left to our own management, and judg- 
ment, and are assured he will not now meddle with us, 
by special, that is, by a miraculous providence ; that the 
modern popular notion of deciding all questions by ma- 
jorities in all deliberative assemblies, is the most pure and 
the most agreeable to Divine Will ; that in short, voxpop- 
uli vox Dei. that is, that the voice of the people as the 
voice of God may safely be assumed as the fact in reli- 
gion and politics. This is a subjects of deep importance 
in our inquiries. 1 trust, therefore, Hermit will give us 
the advantage of his experience in these particulars. 

Hermit. Although these questions, in the course 
of our conversation, have received some casual notices 
which have caught the observation of Rusticus, it is as 
well, perhaps, to come as soon as we can to some decision 
on the principles involved in them. We may safely, I 
think, refer to the experience of the whole race of man- 
kind, and more especially to Christendom and Mahome- 
dom, (to make a new word,) to all their legends, fairy 
tales, experiences and fables, that there have been spirit- 
ual communications from the invisible world of our Lord's 
kingdom in heaven, or from powers therein, (besides 
those recorded in the holy scriptures.) in all ages, both 
before and since our Lord's advent in humility as the Sa- 
viour of the world. But perhaps our friend Academicus 
would be unwilling to admit, that an almost universal 
credence is sufficient testimony on which to found unde- 



82 

friable doctlines of opinions of the truth of facts. I fan- 
cy, however, that no historian has ventured to deny all 
supernatural appearances, or miraculous agency in the 
affairs of men, before the days of Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Of this I doubt not we are all agreed without further 
question. The oldest historians are full of relations of 
the kind, and Balaam and his ass, the oracles of the pa- 
gans, their auguries, Homer, Numa and his nymph, 
(Eugeri,) or familiar, Saul's law against witches, the 
witch of Endor, Brutus' Pharsalian ghost, and innumera- 
ble others, are enough to prove that Such things were. 
Nay, we have the undoubted testimony of holy writ to 
the effect. Pharaoh, in the case of Abraham's wife, 
Abimelech, in the case of Isaac's wife, the whole history 
of Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, the Nine- 
vites and Jonah, and Jonah's shipmates, all must con- 
vince impartial and reasonable men, that almighty power, 
which we personify under the name God, has not failed 
to manifest himself, or itself, .in all the ages of the world, 
to (1 believe) all the sons of men in various ways, before 
our Lord's days in the flesh, and that these various ways 
are, or may be, all classed under the operations of the 
Father, that is, naturally in the works of the creation 
and by general providence; by the Son, the word super- 
naturally, by extraordinary appearances or works, as to 
the Israelites at their Exodus, to Noah, to Abraham, in 
the temple, until the Babylonish captivity, and afterwards 
to Ezra and others, and lastly, in the extraordinary births 
of John Baptist and our Lord, and thirdly, by the holy 
spirit in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David 
and the prophets, all which modes of manifestation are 
declared throughout to be the work or operations of one 
and the same almighty and eternal power, or God, Fa- 
ther, Son, and Holy Spirit, all manifested under one 
name and in one person, even Jesus the anointed sa- 
viour and mediator, appointed as the only being to whom, 
and in whom, and through whom, all worship, praise, 
prayer, and thanks can be addressed to, or received by 
the only one God who fills the universe. This is a mere 
recapitulation of the only one object of the christian faith 
both before and after the first coming of our Lord in hu- 
man flesh, as son of man and son of God. I have been 
more diffuse in this summary of the evidence of God's 
special intercourse with men in the first 4000 years of 
the creation than I intended, but perhaps not more than 
necessary to draw our attention to the analogies observa- 



S3 

tile between those times and the times of this dispensa- 
tion in 1841 years from that grand epoch ; at which time 
I find it to be the common doctrine among christians, 
that no direct communication from God to man, by open 
revelation or prophecy, or miraculous powers, other than 
those contained in the holy scriptures,the works of the cre- 
ation, and by the government of general providence, are 
now wrought, or ought to be expected, and that the only 
mode of judging whether this arises from the active prin- 
ciple of good, or from the permitted agency of evil, can 
be known by the results, by their fruits, to which 
alone all the blind guides of every christian sect, boldly 
and fearlessly appeal, all denying that God will now 
vouchsafe any other guidance ; that although our Lord 
himself has declared in Mark xvi. that miraculous pow- 
ers shall follow true faith, yet christ ; ans declare pos- 
itively that such a promise will not be fulfilled. This ab- 
surdity, this denial of the truth of the gospel, is common 
to all sects ; and even in that little church which was no- 
ticed in a preceding discourse in London, in Walworth, 
whose minister was Elias Carpenter, although they were 
by divine and angelic communication assured of the 
same powers, by a reference to Matthew x. for their com- 
mission, yet was there not one man with faith enough 
to assume the miraculous powers then bestowed on them 
as on the disciples in our Lord's time. Nevertheless, the 
Lord himself has not failed in every generation of men 
(I believe) since his ascension, to maintain a supernatu- 
ral and spiritual communication with some of his servants 
in all the modes of spiritual communion with the invisi- 
ble or spiritual world, viz. by dreams, visions, prophecies 
and supernatural personal appearances, I believe, in 
every part of Christendom and in the world. And had 
the history of those revelations been as carefully record- 
ed for our instruction, we should not have been split into 
so many sects as now we are, nor need we now be so, 
for the Lord has declared that he himself will decide 
every question of difference which may arise. Thus, the 
question of the Arian heresy was decided by the shame- 
ful yet miraculous death of Arius, as recorded by Euse- 
bius. The miraculous cross of Constnntine is a fact as 
well authenticated as any in history ; the miraculous and 
prophetic gifts to Paul, Agalus, Philip's daughter, the spi- 
ritual gifts to the Corinthian and other churches, the gift 
of speech to the African martyrs after their tongues were 
cut out, all of these well-substantiated facts occurred af- 



84 

ter the times now assumed as the period or epoch when 
miracles ceased." My belief is, that in every church, every 
age, and every country where the gospel has been 
preached, and perhaps elsewhere, there have been men 
with peculiar spiritual gifts, besides those which may 
be called the ordinary gifts of the holy ghost, conveyed 
by or at our baptism, or however conveyed to man, 
whether before or after baptism, or altogether indepen- 
dent of it; that there have been such persons in every age 
and country ; but as the christian faith is now our sub- 
ject, so would I limit the application of my observations 
now to christians. 

Truth was so mingled with error, with falsehood and 
fable, in all the legends of the dark ages of the thousand 
years, in the which the reign of antichrist and ignorance 
was firmly established in the earth, that we cannot safe- 
ly appeal to any histories of those times. The legendary 
tales of those times have all, or almost all of them, a su- 
pernatural origin, or wonderful object. Since the days 
of what is called the reformation, Christendom has, L be- 
lieve, been favored with many great and shining lights ; 
many of whom met with a reception in the world purely 
apostolical. Nevertheless, the reception they met with 
in the world is not the standard by which we are to try 
them in our conversations. There were sectarians who 
introduced heresies into the church very early. The 
sect, the puritanical sect of the Essenes, made way for 
the errors of the Gnostics, who attempted to establish an- 
gelic purity on earth, and would have banished all 
legal sexual intercourse from the earth. They attempt- 
ed, and in part succeeded, in establishing a system of 
factitious purity on earth, depending only on their stand- 
ard of branding all sexual intercourse as contrary to the 
spirit of the gospel. This spurious Christianity has left 
its marks on every branch of the church to this day, and 
has legalized whoredom and every evil consequent on it, 
which has branded every christian establishment with the 
character of the scarlet whore of Babylon. You, my 
friends, who have travelled, will perhaps have observed, 
what in the days of my own youth could not escape me, 
that the christian principle of social communion of the 
sexes carries in its train a system of whoredom and im- 
morality which every pious christian must deprecate even 
to this hour. It results from the spurious Christianity or 
Gnostic notions in the earliest days. It has introduced 
the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, which our 



85 

Lord hates, libertinism in sexual intercourse, women 
in common, or common women, the characteristic badge 
of Christianity all the world over, where Christendom has 
any foothold or influence on sexual morals. 

The next heresy, even in the days of the apostles, was 
the Corinthian, the first step to the sensual heaven of Ma- 
hoinmed. The next was Montanism, lately revived by 
Irving. Judging by this last, they had decided super- 
natual spiritual gifts, but both seem to have fallen into 
gross delusion. It is not my object to enter into the char- 
acter of those heresies, if heresies they were, but merely 
to establish the fact, that in those days it was asserted 
and maintained by most christians, that our Lord or God 
did govern the world by a special providence, which 
could be influenced by the prayers of the saints, and by a 
supernatural or miraculous agency. All the institutions of 
Romanism assert this, and the whole Greek church still 
maintain it. At the reformation, or religious revolution, 
when we broke loose from the trammels of superstition, as 
we supposed, and introduced a species of rationalism into 
religion, one of the first errors we fell into, was the mistak- 
ing every pretence to supernatural guidance by the gifts 
of the holy spirit for superstition, and so branding it. But 
our Lord has never left himself without witnesses. The 
principal and leading characters w T ere not those witnesses. 
The Waldenses, the Hussites, the Lollards, the Jansen- 
ists, I believe had many members so gifted ; but Jacob 
Bochman and other highly-gifted characters in Germany, 
Madame Bourignor and the Jansenists in France, many 
in England, and particularly lady Jane Lead, perhaps as 
learned and pious a woman as ever lived, down to Rich- 
ard Brothers, and a host of others about 1792, then Joan- 
na Southcott, Thomas Dow T land, Joseph Prescott, Elias 
Carpenter, George Turner, to 1807 and 1814, and the Ir- 
vingites, to 1840. 1 do not mean now to enter into any 
history of those people, but mention them as being the 
instruments through whom very much intercourse has 
lately been, or said to have been, held with the invisible 
world of spirits, viz. our Lord's heavenly and spiritual 
kingdom, in which we have numerous prophecies and 
new revelations, all of a character perfectly agreeable 
and analagous to those in the scriptures; and I trust Rus- 
ticus will be satisfied with this superficial gloss over the 
history of supernatural influence, or miraculous agency 
in the affairs of men, leaving untouched the promises of 
our Lord that these never should cease. 
8 



Rusticus. My dear Hermit, you have disposed of my 
first question very satisfactorily, but in so doing you have 
started fresh game, new subjects. Your obseivations 
about Gnosticism, Balaam, Nicolaitans, sexual commu- 
nion, these are all to me complete mysteries ; but this 
seems to be your way. Before digressing on these new 
fields of discussion, perhaps I had better offer no remarks 
until you have concluded your observations on the next 
point, the vox populi. 

Academicus. And we. Theophilus and I, are deter- 
mined not to interrupt Hermit until he shall have given 
his notions on this point so important in the affairs of 
men ; for who does not see that this vox populi, the voice 
of the people, is the new potentate who has fixed his do- 
minion on the earth. But are we prepared to say this is 
vox Dei, the voice of God ? 

Theophilus. I must claim attention to one remark 
in favor of the miraculous powers still existing in the 
church, exemplified in the conversion of sinners by 
preaching the gospel. The conversion of a single sinner 
to true faith and repentance, is as great a miracle as can 
be wrought under heaven; and this power still exists in 
the church, and is the fruit by which Christ's ministers 
must be judged, whether they are commissioned by our 
Lord. 

Academicus. This power and this sign, my dear 
Theophilus, exists or is claimed by the ministry of every 
sect ; and who can judge of such a work, a purely spiritu- 
al work, beyond the ken of man in mortality ? What some 
sects call conversion, (papists, for example,) others call 
delusion and error: do you claim this for the apostolic 
succession only ? 

Theophilus. Certainly, Academicus; I urged this 
without sufficient thought. I see the weakness of such 
a plea, but it is often urged, and I could not let it pass 
without notice ; but I see such a notion will not serve 
my exclusive ideas as to apostolical authority, by that 
succession called apostolical. 1 am forced, therefore, to 
abandon it. Go on then, good Hermit, with your re- 
marks on the vox populi ; show us how men may be 
brought to act as by one mind, which even the vox pop- 
uli cannot effect. Show us why the opinion of the ma- 
jority should be adopted by the minority, when the mi- 
nority may be most right. Is the voice of the majority in 
any asse'rnbly a true or just standard of truth or wisdom? 

Hermit. I hardly know how to treat this subject 
sufficiently compendiously to avoid obscurity. Excuse 



87 

me, therefore, my friends, if I be a little tedious. We 
will in the first place consider the voice of the multitude 
when so numerous as to exclude deliberation, such as ex- 
emplified in Lynch law, or in Milton's Pandemonium. 
A multitude knows no law but caprice ; their sole will ; 
reason and truth are the last things listened to. 
The hellish arguments of demagogues artfully ad- 
dressed to the feelings, and sometimes to the worst feel- 
ings of our nature, and the voice of clamor, are only 
heard in a multitude who pretend to deliberate or to 
judge. In such a case the voice of the people is the 
voice of the devil, not of God. This I think needs no 
argument, for no man who has ever seen this mobocratic 
principle in action can be of another opinion But all 
men assume that they have equal rights — are, in fact, 
equal ; and as to affairs which relate to all, each member 
should have equal weight. Yet in such a multitude there 
may be but a few, or not more than one wise man, to 
whose judgment it would be wise to defer. And in 
truth, on the very principle of independence of crea- 
tures upon each other, and of equality of rights, no ma- 
jority, however numerous, have any more natural right 
to impose a law on the minority, than the minority have 
to impose a law on the majority — no, not even in the 
case where the minority may be a single individual, and 
particularly when that individual alone of the whole mass 
may have knowledge, wisdom and discretion. This cannot 
be denied. How then remedy the confusion which must 
arise from the infinitely divided opinions which must ex- 
ist in a multitude where the individuals may be very 
unequally endowed in the three things which we have 
assumed may exist in one individual, knowledge, wis- 
dom and discretion ? Or say that more than one may be 
superiorly endowed — should we not say that this multi- 
tude would act most wisely in forming themselves into a 
corporate body by electing this one man their head, and 
choosing the others to offices in that body, whose duties 
they were qualified to fulfill ? One body can have but 
one head, even if that have different members, hands, 
eyes, nose, mouth and ears. But if that multitude be nu- 
merous, different members may be required to perfect the 
body politic. Men by their very nature are forced so to 
ongregate and associate, if they mean to be governed or 
to govern themselves efficaciously and wisely for their 
mutual benefit and comfort. 

Without multiplying words or dilating on this subject^ 



83 

see you not that such a man with almighty and perfect 
endowments does exist, and is a candidate for the exclu- 
sive government of every association of men, large or 
small, and for whatever purpose associated, which has the 
good of the individuals composing it for its object ? even 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God himself, in whom dwells 
the fulness of the godhead bodily, and he, we know, and 
he only is able and willing to govern us so as to secure 
to every individual member the greatest possible good to 
which he or she is capable of attaining ; and he only is 
known to be capable of effecting this the true object of 
every association. But he will not accept the office, al- 
though his by creation, inheritance, purchase, and every 
title, unless he be most willingly elected to it, nor will he 
share this charge with an other of God's creatures. 
Christians for the most part acknowledge this, and that 
all their endowments are indeed from him ; but it some- 
how happens that they generally act as if they thought 
human aid, and sometimes indeed as if diabolical aid, 
were necessary to him. In vain does he in person, and 
still by his word established for ages as the alone truth — 
in vain 1 say does he invite mankind to elect him as their 
sole monarch, for by their actions they declare they will 
not have this man to rule over them in worldly nor even 
in spiritual matters, as if his power did not extend to this 
earth. Nay, even in spiritual associations we still deny 
him the sole rule ; and have even deprived him of the 
nomination of his own, ay, of every one of his own offi- 
cers or servants. Nay, we presume to excuse ourselves 
by assuming that he is unable or unwilling to make 
known his choice, even if he have any, and therefore we 
fancy, "or assume that he is pleased to give the privilege 
of appointing even his own household to Satan or to the 
world, and yet by a most strange inconsistency, we sup- 
pose that he will immediately give to these servants thus 
imposed on him the exercise of his power and distribu- 
tion of his grace or favors.. This is true mobocracy. We 
have no objection to elect him our bishop or even our 
king, provided his people be allowed to rule over him ; 
thus subjecting the head to the government of the mem- 
bers, figuratively set forth as the flesh, (of which all the 
members are composed.) and therefore the three-fold en- 
emy of God and man is said in scripture to be the world, 
the flesh, and the devil. The world may be defined to 
be the love of worldly influence and dominion, even be- 
yond our capacity to use our limited powers. The flesh 



may be said to be the disposition in the members, the 
flesh, selfish sensualism, to rebel against the head, viz. the 
spirit and Satan may be said to be that disposition to evil 
which employs artfully the two former elements to re- 
bel against the restraints to which the love of good would 
inculcate ; an impure spirit which ever urges to inde- 
pendence of the individual, and the equal privileges of 
all the sons of God and of Adam; more particularly as 
a motive to interminable division, ever the object of Satan, 
and an enmity most determined to every social principle 
that leads to universal love and union, the true object of 
all true religion and politics, and into which this impure 
spirit ever intrudes himself to mar. 

I fear, my friends, I am too diffuse, butl know not how 
to avoid it. You have heard much of this before ; but 1 
do indeed intend now to apply it to answer the questions 
of Rusticus,but cannot now extend this conversation, as 
our time-glass is run out. 

Academicus. My dear Hermit, although the remarks 
are indeed not quite novel from you, yet you are now 
placing them in a new and practical light, and I could 
sit until to-morrow night with pleasure, to draw water 
from your well ; but we must not now trespass further. 
Good night. 



TENTn CONVERSATION. 

By the Log-fire, as usual. 

Rusticus. Before our worthy and hospitable host re- 
commences his lecture, we should mention that we begin 
to feel uneasy lest we may be found to trespass too much 
on his hospitality. Say, good Hermit, are we not pres- 
sing your civility too far? This is, I believe, ten days 
since we arrived, and I see no prospect of an end to our 
conversations: nay, so far from it, every one seems to 
break ground for ten more. 

Hermit. I rejoice in your society, my friends, and it 
is no use travelling in this country at this season, when 
we have no allurements for travellers at all. But I must 
propose to extend your amusements to induce some phys- 
ical exercise as well as spiritual. This, to young men, is 
wholesome, improves their faculties, and is necessary. I 
will therefore make a bargain with you. Go forth and 
furnish our board with game, which our forests supply in 



90 

abundance, and talk not of shifting jour quarters for a 
month. 

Academicus. A thousand thanks, my dear Hermit, 
for your suggestion, We will waive all superfluous com- 
pliments, and with delight take advantage of you, at 
least, until we have completed the awful month of Janu- 
ary with you. 

Hermit. A bargain then ; and not to waste words, 
let us proceed to decide the legality of the vox populi, as- 
suming the powers of legislation and government in any 
community, spiritual or temporal. Are we agreed that 
if we four and neighbor Freeborn were thrown together 
on an isolated spot, any three of us would have no more 
right to impose any restraint, laws or regulations on the 
other two, than those two have to impose any such on the 
othei three ; nor that any four of us have any more right 
to impose restraints or laws on the remaining one, than 
that one on the four ? that is, are we agreed that there is 
no natural inherent authority in a majority of members 
to govern a minority in an association of men for any 
purpose whatever ? 

Academicus. For myself, Hermit, I must say that I 
feel my spirit is or ought to be quite free from the au- 
thority of any man, that is mere man, man only, as beinor 
unendowed with any special authority from the author 
of my existence. I have however some doubts how far 
parental authority, and that only in perfect keeping with 
my principle, should be considered absolute. But cer- 
tainly no other natural authority seems to claim subser- 
vience or obedience. But what says our friend Theoph- 
ilus to this, who claims much for the ministers of reli- 
gion and for kings, or authority by inheritance, of a sen- 
sible or worldly nature only ? The word authority, in the 
abstract, I take to be purely spiritual, therefore not trans- 
missible by natural descent, reserving still the question 
of paternal authority by natural right. 

Theopiiilus. Being thus called on, I must confess 
that I am only disposed to question the principle, inas- 
much as I do not see how we are to bring the opinions 
of men to an infallible standard, unless all men agree 
to succumb to some definite rule of judgment, and if they 
will not agree on this, 1 see no remedy but to refer to the 
only tangible method, which at first view, reason decides 
for, in favor of a majority of voices : when all agree to 
abide by the voice of the majority of a deliberative body, 
then that majority is the rule agreed on. In truth, 1 see 
a multitude of difficulties in the way; for instance, grant- 



91 

ing that i.he majority of a deliberative body shall be con- 
sidered law by that body, how was that body itself form- 
ed from the community ? and why may not that deliber- 
ative body, whose decisions are to be law, be a single 
individual? But this the experience of the world de- 
cides against as a dangerous tyranny : if the deliberative 
body be composed of more than one, then the experience 
of the world decides against it as a fearful oligarchy. 
Therefore I confess I do not see how we are to proceed 
unobjectionably on all sides, but by reducing society to 
its first principles, and referring all questions to a major- 
ity of voices. But against this rise all the fearful objec- 
tions of mad democracy, or mobocracy ; but in associa- 
tions purely spiritual, a remedy seems to me to be fur- 
nished by the apostolic succession, whereby a certain 
number of men were first named by divine authority, 
and empowered to transmit their powers, by any rule, to 
all succeeding generations, to persons whose judgments 
in spiritual matters shall be considered as of divine au- 
thority. This again, if I were to advance, the papist 
would thank me, and say this is precisely the papal rule. 
If 1 would subdivide the authority among the bishops, 
then I see no better way of bringing them into sensible 
obedience to certain rule than the church of England has 
adopted; and this, my friend Academicus, would soon 
show, as indeed he has made me confess, that even this 
is defective, and partakes of the evils of papal despotism 
and sectarian confusion. Therefore I confess myself in 
a labyrinth, out of which I cannot find my way, unless 
our Hermit shall furnish me the clue. Therefore, al- 
though I see many objections to the theory of governing 
all societies by the majority of voices of the constituent 
members, I must believe this principle the very best, in 
the abstract, that I know of. 

Hermit. Then Theophilus, I trust you will find me 
a friend in need, and I shall not delay to bring you the 
clue which will deliver you : indeed, it may be said that 
I have already done so, but you did not feel your need 
of it before, and have lost sight of it. 

It is admitted by all men, that if God Almighty him- 
self would condescend to rule us in all the varieties of 
our social relations, we should be well and rightly gov- 
erned, and men would then obey, because they must. 
But this is not his will 5 he has however delegated his 
power to man, to govern us in all our social relations, 
if we will, in all temporal affairs, become his subjects, as 
the King of Kings, and in our spiritual relations, as the 



92 

Lord of Lords, and only bishop of our souls ; but has 
forbidden him to assume the absolute dominion over any 
one unwilling subject, so that each individual shall still 
be a responsible creature, subject to reward and punish- 
ment, and not a creature of mere necessity ; a slave to 
absolute decrees, or to be the subject of capricious elec- 
tion or condemnation, as regards salvation, either spirit- 
ual or temporal. 

This man, even our Lord Jesus Christ, has said " Lo ! 
I am with you always, even to the end of ages," and 
" whatsoever you shall ask in my name, I will do it." 
Moreover, he has given his faithful subjects powers fully 
commensurate with their necessities, and even their de- 
sires, saying, " These signs shall follow them that be- 
lieve, they shall speak with new tongues. In my name 
shall they cast out devils ; they shall take up serpents ; 
and if they drink poison, they shall not be hurt; they 
shall lay their hands on the sick and they shall be heal- 
ed," &c. &c. This is God's own word, so that the voice 
of the Lord should be the infallible standard of a chris- 
tian man's judgment, and the only rule, for our Lord 
will share his honor with no man. 

Rusticus. Surely, my dear Hermit, we needed not 
to have been reminded of this again ; indeed I thought 
you would have settled this question without a repetition 
of what we all have long ago agreed on. 

Hermit. My dear Rusticus, I will not rebuke your 
impatience, but will endeavor to satisfy it without taking 
up your time to justify myself, which indeed is the less 
necessary, as you declare you all agree with the princi- 
ple I have advanced. Now then to apply it. 

Let us first proceed to the election of a bishop, which 
I take for my first example, because the gospel in Acts 
ii. furnishes us the true rule, namely, by choice ; election 
confirmed by our Lord by lot. 

We may suppose, that in the community where a per- 
son is required to fill the office and do the duties of a 
bishop, there may be two persons proposed as candidates, 
who, in the belief of that community are perfectly qual- 
ified by piety and learning for the office. To carry out 
the explanation, let us suppose these were Theophilus 
and Academicus ; then let three lots be chosen or pre- 
pared, three perfectly similar slips of paper for example, 
on one the name " Academicus" should be written, on 
another " Theophilus," and on the third, the name " the 
Lord ;" these three lots being put in an opaque vase or 



93 

box, open at the top, and a congregation of the electors 
and others being met, the electors prepared by previous 
fast and prayer, as may be ordained ; a solemn service 
may be performed, with reference to the subject, and ap- 
propriate prayers, always to conclude in the elective p;irt 
by a prayer on the model of that by the apostles, thus : 
" O Lord Jesus Christ, thou who knowest the hearts of 
all men, choose now which of these twain thou wilt ■ 

have to serve thee in the office of bishop of , or 

whether thou, in thy eternal wisdom, seest fit to accept 
neither;" the lot should theri be drawn publicly, by any 
person, called indiscriminately from the congregation 
by the leading minister. If the lot of Theophilus was 
drawn, no person could have room to say that he was 
not chosen by the Lord himself for the bishop, and ap- 
propriate thanks and prayer for the gifts of the Spirit to 
him, and exhortation should follow ; but suppose the lot 
for the Lord had been drawn, then would neither of our 
friends be qualified to offer themselves again for that 
office ; two other candidates must be chosen, and the pro- 
cess must be repeated. Since christians acknowledge no 
such thing as chance, the lot drawn must be considered by 
them, as the act of the Lord himself, and if some infidel 
should think proper to attribute the lot to chance, then 
are we no farther off than if we had proceeded to choice 
on such vague premises as any man's judgment of the 
qualification for the office of bishop. But in the choice 
of candidates we may be supposed to be in some uncer- 
tainty under such a system; but surely, if we be serious 
in referring to our Lord, it would matter little how the 
candidates be named or chosen, because we leave in his 
hands, to whom all hearts are open, and from whom no 
secrets are hid, the choice or the rejection of the party. 
Thus our sovereign claims the right to name a candidate 
for the bishop's office, to be subjected to a mock election 
by the clergy of his diocese ; but they are not free to re- 
ject him, because of the severe penalty of premunire. 
Surely this is mockery all ; yet it may be true that ma- 
jesty may choose the best man. 1 would therefore leave 
vested rights, where they are in practice. A convoca- 
tion of the clergy is acknowledged to have the right to 
elect the bishop ; the sovereign claims the right to name 
the candidate : then let eacli name a candidate, the sov- 
reign by privilege, the other by election, and subject 
them to the lot, as before said, whereby one may be 
elected, or both be rejected. In this manner, without de- 



94 

parting at all from the rule of human succession to the 
apostles, we should maintain a spiritual succession of the 
Lord's own appointment, in a way the scriptures dictate; 
nor in all cases would it be necessary to apply to the lot, 
because, if the congregation were good, pious, and faith- 
ful people, I believe the Lord would vouchsafe more in- 
timate communion with them, and would give his Spirit 
to rule them by more direct communication, by open 
voice or vision, or a direct inspiration, and spiritual 
and miraculous power, because he has promised to do 
so; and as I have already mentioned, we have one exam- 
ple of it in the history of Elias Carpenter, and the liv- 
ing instruments through whom divine instruction was 
communicated to him from 1803 to 1807; and of Joanna 
Southcott, Richard Brothers, and others, as prophets of 
the Lord, about the same epoch ; even as the Holy Ghost 
said to the church at Antioch, " Separate me Paul and 
Barnabas," &c. I have been very diffuse on this my first 
example, to show how the voice of the people, in ma- 
jorities and minorities, may, however conflicting their 
opinions, be referred to an infallible standard, to which 
all faithful men would not hesitate to submit themselves ; 
and if any such were found so disobedient, then 1 know 
no remedy but separation from the community. 

Theophtlus. Your detailed example, Hermit, has 
made this point clear to me, and gives a clue to the right 
understanding of many of your previous observations, 
which then appeared heterodox, or at least mysterious. 
You have disposed of bishops well, but how would you 
carry out the same principle in the ordination of priests 
and deacons? 

Academicus. Before our host goes further into his 
detailed modes of applying his principles, which I now 
see bears directly on the greater question of church gov- 
ernment, which I had almost feared had slipped into 
oblivion, and that it had been lostf in the subordinate 
questions of Rusticus, I would ask him how he disposes 
of the apostolic gifts, Mark xvi. 17, or the signs follow- 
ing faith or christian belief. Would you, Hermit, de- 
mand that the candidates for a bishopric, for the apostol- 
ical office, should be possessed of those miraculous 
powers ? 

Hermit. If a christian had, previously to being chos- 
en for a candidate for any office in the ministry of the 
Lord, such endowments, it would sufficiently demon- 
strate his qualification for any office, and our Lord's own 
approbation perhaps, without referring to lot. But in such 



95 

desultory conversations as these, I hope you will not ex- 
pect from me that I shall furnish a rule for every imagin- 
able case ; 1 may say, however, that these gifts ought to 
be claimed by the church, to follow all appointments ap- 
proved by our Lord, for one simple reason, because he 
has promised them, as surely as he has promised his 
holy Spirit, and he is Almighty truth; and on his side 
he will surely do as he has promised. I will now con- 
fess that my views extend even beyond the encampment 
of the church, even to the establishment of our Lord's 
reign as King of Kings, in temporals as well as spirit- 
uals ; but the path that leads to this object of our lucu- 
brations is yet long and narrow, and has some obstruc- 
tions to be removed to make our way easy. But let us 
reply to Theophilus. 

If we recall what has already passed on the general 
subject of our Lord's ministry on earth, where we have 
concluded that we know no one case, in any church or 
sect (except, perhaps, the Moravians, of whose discipline 
I am ignorant,) where the ministers are unquestionably 
of our Lord's own selection, or who can show that 
they are by any open and manifest indication, even ap- 
proved by him. Bear it in mind, because the specula- 
tive details, in answer to you all, my friends, are meant 
to have reference to the evils then bewailed, and to sug- 
gest simple and practical remedies for them. Having 
promised this to encourage your patient endurance of 
my prosiness, let us proceed to the election of a deacon. 
This office, I think, is generally misunderstood; the 
seven appointed in Acts vi. are not therein so called, al- 
though they are so in the compendious heading to the 
chapter, which is no part of the text. They appear, as 
to their ostensible office, to have been a sort of church 
wardens or overseers of the temporal concerns of the 
church, but endowed with spiritual gifts, and by their 
use of them, show that it may be lawful for any such 
office-holders in the church to preach the gospel. But 
the general notion of a deacon in the regular churches, 
is that of a subordinate minister to the priest or elder, 
who has charge over several congregations, or to the 
bishop, to whom they were a sort of apprentices and ser- 
vants, both in spiritual and secular affairs, as Elisha to 
Elijah. In our church, he is considered an assistant min- 
ister to him who has the cure of souls, in one congre 
gation, or single ecclesiastical community. In some 
churches they are considered as a sort of missionaries, to 



96 

prove their qualifications to do the work of the Lord, by 
trial of their ability in small congregations or communi- 
ties, to enable the church to know their fitness for full 
orders as priests or elders. 

These preliminary observations on the nature of the 
deacon's office, are only necessary to show, that- the 
mode of election or selection must depend on the nature 
of the duties expected from him. 

1st. The election of a christian man to serve in the 
ministry of the word and work of the Lord, wherever he 
may be sent. First, his qualifications must be, continued 
union and communion with the body from which his au- 
thority emanates; this must be assured by his own vow, 
or promise, and must be responsible to the same. Second, 
he must be acquainted with the worldly history of Jesus 
Christ, as taught by the gospel record, and with the whole 
scripture record of the old and new Testaments, and with 
a sufficient knowledge of the doctrines of the body, of 
which he seeks to become a member and minister, &c. 
&c. &c, and must acknowledge to whom on earth, as 
also in heaven, he holds himself responsible for the due 
performance of his duties. Third, his name on one lot, 
our Lord's on another, that must decide whether our 
Lord rejects or accepts him. A rejection does not ne- 
cessarily exclude him from a future reference to the lot 
as a simple deacon, nor in some cases even as a priest, 

2d. Where the deacon is to serve the Lord in subser- 
vience to another minister, or priest, that priest should 
refer the candidate of his own choice to the Lord for ap- 
proval by lot ; and if he have more candidates than one, 
they should all be referred to lot. 

3d. If the deacon is to serve a congregation, that con- 
gregation should elect one or more candidates, and refer 
them all to the lot, — and on every occasion of the lot, 
appropriate and solemn religious services to be used as 
they may be shown by direction or special ordinance. 

Enough has been said to develope my principle, that 
there should not be a single office held in the church, 
generally or specially, where the holder has not been 
either appointed thereto by the Lord himself, or approved 
by the lot. And I may observe, that the use of the lot 
may be extended beyond the appointment of officers, as 
in the case of Joshua and Achan ; and other legitimate 
modes of consulting the Lord may undoubtedly be used. 
But the grand principle that the Lord shall have the ab- 
solute nomination to every office in his own church, must 



97 

be maintained irrefragably. Thus my remedy to exclude 
mobocracy from the church is clear, and it provides a 
means of reconciling majorities of voices with minori- 
ties. In spiritual cases, and, indeed in all cases so hap- 
pening, I would recommend to refer their opinions to 
the Lord for decision. Thus to elect the Lord himself 
for the bishop, the head bishop, the only bishop of our 
souls, is what I call true spiritual religion, and the very 
reverse of superstition. But I know the world in gen- 
eral, wedded as we are to Satanic rule, would call this, 
my religion, by the name of superstition, as the Roman 
governor did. They say they/" will not have this man 
Jesus Christ to reign over us." We say nay. " We will 
serve the Lord." What they call superstition we call 
religion and the reverse. 1 have brought you to the end 
of what I meant to say in answer to Rusticus : — but be- 
fore I resume the question of church government in its 
more minute features, I may as well develope the same 
principle, as applicable to temporal governments. 

I set out with the principle that our Lord is King of 
Kings, Lord of Lords, and the only Bishop of our souls. 
When he permitted the Israelites to name or to elect a 
king subordinate to himself, he, the Lord, even God, 
who was afterwards manifested in Jesus Christ, selected 
the candidate : he chose Saul, David, and Jeroboam, and 
Jehu. I shall not dilate with remarks on their various 
characters, — the fact is all I want. He chose Aaron and 
his family, and the Levites also ; and in every case of a 
candidate by the Lord's choice, he or they were confirm- 
ed to their office by election, thus proving this right to 
be given by the Lord to all free people, to have no min- 
ister or office-holder imposed on them against their will, 
or without their concurrence. So that in all time3 he 
has claimed the temporal and spiritual dominion of his 
own people, his own children ; as all christians ought to 
be and are really his own children and subjects, if they 
will. 

The only example I shall offer of applying the princi- 
ple to the current practice of elections by the majority of 
voices, is a complex one, and taken from the practice of 
a county in a neighboring; province ; and I have done so 
to avoid any possible offence to the vox populi, to the 
people of the United States, who adopt the mobocratic 
principle — generally, when exercised soberly, decided 
by the majority of voices in organized assemblies ; too 
often by capricious clamor in mobs, masses or disorgan- 

o 



98 

ized bodies, irresponsible to any authority, unless it be to 
the author of all confusion in earth and in heaven, even 
Satan. 

The neighboring county sends four members to its 
provincial assembly, who are elected at certain times. 
On the principle I would advocate, of bringing all men 
under the infallible rule of the almighty in our Lord, the 
only legitimate king of all men, I would ordain that the 
electors choose eight men by majorities of voices ; these 
eight should have each his lot, and one lot for each one 
to be selected from the eight; that is, four from twelve 
lots in all. Then by a simple but well-ordered appeal to 
the Lord in a religious service ordained for the purpose, 
four lots should be drawn from the twelve ; if those 
drawn be for any of the eight elected, those four are to 
be declared duly approved by divine majesty. If three 
of the lots drawn be for men, and one for the Lord only, 
then the electors must, as before, elect two other candi- 
dates, who must each have their lot, and one lot for the 
Lord ; and the lot, as before, must decide whether either 
of these be approved or both rejected, when the Lord's 
lot is again drawn, and so on. If, on the first drawing, 
the two persons of the eight are chosen, and the remain- 
ing six rejected because two of the Lord's lots be drawn, 
then the constituted electors must elect four others, from 
whose lots, together with two for the Lord, two are to be 
drawn, and so on continually, until the number be com- 
plete ; and if the four lots of the Lord be drawn in the 
first instance, then are all the eight candidates rejected 
by the Lord, and eight others must be elected to undergo 
a similar process for the selection of four. 

I hope this will be enough to satisfy you of my prin- 
ciple. 

Rusticus. Why, Mr. Hermit, this would cut up 
bribery, corruption and clamor by the roots. If such a 
system were honestly and piously carried out, such 
things could have no influence. And do you really think 
that any society of men, among whom there are any left 
with influence enough to flatter their ambitious hopes of 
dominion, with wit enough to declaim against such a 
system as a proof of weakness and superstition, such a 
clear and practicable mode would be adopted to avoid all 
the known evils of popular elections ? 

Hermit. I have answered your question, Rusticus, 
without the slightest reserve. 1 mean your selection of 
this question as to the mode of bringing the decisions of 



w 

deliberative assemblies to an infallible standard, — and if 
we be christians, that standard must be acknowledged to 
be the truth. This new question, as to whether any so- 
ciety of men will adopt the principles, — this is begging a 
question the Lord alone can answer. But this much I 
am warranted by all scripture and the history of Israel 
in affirming, that if any society of men are piously and 
sincerely determined to be obedient to the voice of the 
Lord, so expressed, and carrying.the principle out in all 
the details of their corporate association, the Lord 
himself will graciously condescend to take them under 
his own government and protection, and, moreover, 
would favor them, if indeed they continue in their obe- 
dience with reverence and humility, with more immedi- 
ate communion with himself by his holy spirit, and by 
every other superhuman means exemplified in the scrip- 
tures. 1 would, moreover, carry out the same principle 
into all enactments of legislative and administrative 
bodies, and refer every question relating to or any way 
affecting the members of such an associated body, to the 
Lord himself, whether in church or state. Nay, further 
still, whether public or private, into every subordinate 
association, down to separate families, and even the in- 
dividual members. We, my friends, have now been long 
enough acquainted for you to have discovered that I am 
an expectant; that is, I really do look for the promised 
coming of the Lord in the person of Jesus Christ in the 
glorious majesty of the Eternal Almighty, and he will 
establish his dominion and government visibly on the 
throne of David his father, and which shall endure for 
ever ; and we expectants do consider the Lord's prayer 
to be a most compendious prophecy, or prediction of 
what shall be certainly, and the sooner as to time, the 
more sincerely and unanimously that prayer is offered 
up with the spirit and the understanding at the footstool 
of the throne of divine majesty, in the name of Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 

All. Amen. Thy will be done in earth. Amen. 

Hermit. I rejoice, my friends, in this concurrent 
Amen. It came from the heart, and the Lord himself 
hears it. O that all the earth, or even all the church 
would concur in every petition in that all comprehensive 
prayer in its utmost latitude of sense and fullest mean- 
ing, and with one heart and voice offer it up, not only 
daily but hourly. Then indeed should we see that our 
I^ord is not slack to answer prayer, and that he would 



1G0 

speedily arouse 'himself to avenge his elect. I cannot 
refrain, my friends, from offering an observation on that 
petition, in which we have so heartily and sincerely con- 
curred ; " thy will be done in earth." Some fastidious 
people, more nice than wise, adopt another form of it, 
and say, " thy will be done on earth," which may be as 
proper, for aught I know. Academicus, perhaps, can 
better inform us. The original I find, both in Matthew 
vi. and Luke xi., is " epi tes Ges. y> But this I do know, 
that before our Lord's kingdom can be established on 
earth, it must so be in earth ; that is, in the heart of in- 
dividual man, — each of whom possesses no more earth 
than his individual body, which is not unfitly likened to 
a microcosm, or miniature of the whole earth and 
heavens. Before a kingdom can be set up, willing sub- 
jects must be prepared. Jesus Christ must be acknowl- 
edged in the heart and mind of every man, and be in 
each chosen as his king and Lord, before his kingdom 
can come on earth; and evil, the evil, the evil one, the 
devil, cannot be banished from the earth, nor we be de- 
livered from this the adversary, until he be eradicated 
from every heart. Therefore, the incessant cry of the 
church should be, " Deliver us, O Lord, from the adver- 
sary, by eradicating every root and seed of evil from our 
hearts, we beseech thee. Amen." 

All. Amen. 

Hermit. My friends, we have still an hour before 
us, and I think we are all now sufficiently prepared for 
my views on church government, in answer to Theophi- 
lus. There must certainly be some legitimate mode of 
associating for the purposes of cultivating religious 
knowledge, and devoting ourselves to the service of God 
and man on religious principles, that should be unobjec- 
tionable, and easily practicable. In the course of our 
conversations, Theophilus has called on me to propose 
some remedy for the too evident Satanic influence, not 
only in legally established churches, but in all sects of 
christians. 1 hat it is s >, we need only open our eyes 
to see. Our Lord's principle is love, peace, and perfect 
unity with ourselves, each other, with Christ, and with 
the Almighty Father. Satan !s principle is, hatred, wars, 
strife, envyings, pride of opinion, perpetual schisms and 
divisions, independence, individual right to freedom of 
opinion and action, and to set up the opinions of self as 
the only principle of judgment and of action, which 
must result in perpetual division and sub-division, to set 



101 

man against man for ever ; even as we see it now, and 
around us. Pray, my friends, whose influence is pre- 
dominant in the church? (whether we embrace all the 
christian sects in the church, or consider any individual 
establishment or sect,) under whose influence are they ? 
Christ's or Satan's? 

Academicus. I was expecting our friend Theophilus 
to offer some reason to answer and to show why this 
charge should not lie, at least, against the Episcopalian 
Protestant church ; but he looks quite astounded and 
l.orror stricken, and I do not wonder. I will, then, for 
myself, confess frankly, on the notoriety of the fact on 
Hermit's showing, that as Satan deceived our mother 
Eve at first, so has he at last betrayed the antitype 
mother church into disobedience and foul rebellion. 1 
am the more anxious to hear, Mr. Hermit, whether you 
really can imagine any possible remedy for an evil so 
tremendous and overwhelming ; and perhaps we had bet- 
ter not interrupt you with any other observations just 
now 1 

Hermit. I undertake the task with great diffidence, 
fearing my own powers to treat this subject of church 
government sufficiently clearly and succinctly even ac- 
cording to my own views ; much less can 1 hope to em- 
brace all the varied opinions of men on this important 
and all interesting subject. What I shall advance then, 
my friends, will be open to your observations and re- 
marks, without any offence. In such matters I would 
avoid the least appearance of dogmatism or pertinacity. 
We cannot be driven to heaven, as some sects would, 
nor dragged there by the hair of the head, as the Ma- 
hometans. We must be led there as the great shepherd 
of our souls and bodies has graciously instructed us both 
by his example and precepts : for in heaven there are no 
pressed men, no unwilling subjects, — all must be willing 
and cheerful volunteers ; all subjected by love, hope, and 
faith, as the law, to implicit obedience as its only fruits. 
Let us, then, proceed to the matter on hand on these 
principles. And first we must define who are the sub- 
jects of church government. We may suppose a case, 
where an individual man, by the grace of God, is turn- 
ed in heart to the Lord. Either he is already a baptized 
christian, or he is not. Jf baptized, he knows, or should 
know, into what faith and church he was baptized, and 
he is bound to hold fast that, and not to make a schism 
in that body into which he was received by baptism, 
which, in fact, is figurative of a new birth, as a member 
9* 



102 

of that body. Such are not at present before us for dis- 
cussion, but such only as have as yet entered into no 
social engagements to serve God in any peculiar mode 
or fashion. If he be sincere, he cannot be uninformed 
that we have a certain book amongst us, which does af- 
fect to be, and is believed to be the word of God Al- 
mighty, and so containing his will, as to human conduct, 
that in it we may find a rule to live by, so that we may 
adopt a rule of conduct in this life, which may secure to 
us the promises contained in it : he might possibly pray 
to receive such instruction more immediately, if possible, 
by more direct communication with the invisible world 
of spirits ; but surely, in the hope of certainly knowing 
God's will, he will examine the written word, and he 
will find the first instruction to the Gentile man in Acts 
ii., both as to his creed and what he has to do to be sav- 
ed, so as to assure his hopes of becoming an inheritor of 
all the promises, temporal and spiritual ; that he must 
repent of all his sins ; that is, of every contradiction man- 
ifested in his previous life to the will of God revealed to 
man ; that he must be baptized in the name of Jesus 
Christ, for the pardon of those sins, and then that he 
shall receive the holy ghost, (o teach him all things, and 
rightly to interpret the written word, so that he may 
have no excuse thereafter ; for God himself, in our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who is the Truth, the Amen, the Almighty, 
has promised this, and if we be sincere in seeking him, 
will assuredly perform hi3 promise. The first thing then, 
that such a man, being sincere, would do, would be to 
seek baptism ; he would naturally desire to know what 
baptism is, and where it may be had ; he finds the word 
as written, does not define what baptism is, and on in- 
quiry, he finds that various and very different opinions 
exist amongst those who call themselves christians, upon 
this subject. Can such a man, understanding no lan- 
guage but English, decide who is right ? For the writ- 
ten word declares there is but one baptism for the remis- 
sion of sins. .But one thing is clear, that it means a 
new birth by water. But as to the form by which the 
water is to be applied to him, or he to the water, the 
written word is silent. He will naturally suppose the 
people of that day must have known very well what was 
meant by the word baptism. Now if any one of the 
Apostles were alive at this day, would not such a man, 
being so converted, (as explained and assumed to be the 
case,) go to him for the very thing he wanted ? that is, 
for true baptism ? But there are none of the first Apos* 






103 

ties now alive. But he learns from the sacred record, 
that they formed themselves into a society called the 
church, in which certain persons were appointed to con- 
tinue to baptize all nations, after instructing them; and 
he finds this society has lived ever since, in some form 
or other, in which certain pastors affirm that their au- 
thority has come down to them from the very apostles 
themselves, with power to transmit the same, through 
chosen men, in every genoration, until the time of our 
Lord's return to the earth to abolish this dispensation, 
and establish another covenant with us, and our seed, 
being his own children. Would not such a man, de- 
sirous of being admitted into an association with such 
privileges, determine at once to seek what he wants in 
such a society, as has lived or existed from that time in 
unbroken succession ? Oh no ! In these days a poor 
simple man must be wary, for he finds the type of Solo- 
mon's thousand wives verified in this day in a thousand 
such societies, all called christian churches. The writ- 
ten word speaks of one of them only, — which is it? 
It is true, indeed, it speaks of branches of this church ; 
but as members of its family in various different places, 
;seven in Asia Minor, at Rome, Corinth, Macedonia, An- 
lioch and Babylon, which come down unquestionably as 
to fact, however they may have erred in some recondite 
doctrines in the course of their history. These offices for 
the administration of certain definite ordinances, have 
come down in unbroken succession even from the apos- 
tles to our own day, in the American and English 
.ehurch, the Episcopal church, so called. Such a church 
will no doubt know how to baptize in the faith of Christ 
aright, and to a minister of an Episcopal church no doubt 
our man would go, if unprejudiced and reasonable. 

Oh no ! he is told that some people or sects, although 
they do not pretend to have succeeded by any legitimate 
or acknowledged rule of succession, yet they pretend to be 
better men, and to know the will ©f the Lord much better 
than these Episcopalians know about it ; that these do 
not half baptize their converts. How is a poor man to 
decide between conflicting sects ? I will give my opin- 
ion. Let him go to a minister of an Episcopal church 
for baptism into Christ's church, rather than to any ques- 
tionable authority whatever, emanating from any associ- 
ation of later date than the apostles. The argument for 
this determination is short. m The true object is to become 
a member of that church or society which was founded 



104 

by the apostles ; in short, by our Lord himself. Any 
society of later birth or beginning, is not recommended 
in God's word. 

And on this principle I would, in my own person, 
rather resort to a Roman priest, however much I depre- 
cate the errors, corruptions, and the apostacy of the pa- 
pacy, for baptism, than trust my salvation to the chance 
of failure, by giving it in the hands of any human au- 
thority, not legitimately derived and handed down by 
legitimate succession, unbroken by any human contri- 
vance. 

Thus I have shown my rule for entering into the fold 
of the christian flock; for the conduct of a christian 
when once so folded with Christ's sheep. I may now, 
offer a few observations, and this much I have felt due, 
on apostolical succession, to set Theophilus more at ease 
on the subject, and to undeceive Rusticus and Academi- 
cus, if, indeed, any of you, my friends, may have fancied 
that I consider the maintenance of legitimate succession 
as useless, from the faults which I have ventured to find 
with those who pretend to this succession, for not main- 
taining the spiritual succession also. In the flesh, the 
society we call the church has lived to this our day in an 
unquestionable lineal descent. \n spirit it has rarely, I 
believe, existed for ages. In the descent by the flesh, 
by fleshly ordinances, the line is unbroken; and this is 
man's part in the succession. The gifts of the spirit 
cannot be commanded by man, and therefore the failure 
of the spirit, if jt could be proved, mars not the legiti- 
macy of the succession in the flesh. 

Theophilus. You have indeed delighted me, good 
host. You have, indeed, completely and succinctly es- 
tablished my opinion of your orthodoxy, which before 
was decidedly against you. But, my friend, I shall now 
look for more instruction from you on this point. My 
surprise is, why I could not have said the same thing on 
apostolical succession myself. For certainly, your views 
as you have now explained them, I quite concur in, and 
think I never differed from. But your time is up, good 
Hermit. Good night. 



ELEVENTH CONVERSATION. 

Met as usual. 

Hermit. I trust that your two days' hunting excur- 
sion will have sharpened your relish for these fireside en- 



105 

tertainments. The two bucks and the caribou, its fruits, 
will furnish wear and tear for your teeth for some time ; 
but J will not interrupt the course of our discussion with 
matters of mere physical recreation, I had on Wednes- 
day arrived at a point which partiularly seemed to at- 
tract the admiration of Theophilus ; but I should desire 
much to hear your several opinions on baptism, as the 
initiatory sacramental rite or ceremony by which an 
adult man should be received into a christian church or 
community. I will frankly confess, that staggered by 
the various notions afloat in the world, to all of which 
there are many who call and believe themselves to be 
christians, and' amongst these many seemingly very pi- 
ous and most moral men do subject themselves, 1 cannot 
say that I give my opinions on this subject with the same 
confidence that I feel on some of the more abstruse doc- 
trines. 

I have asserted as my opinion that the apostolical suc- 
cession, even as a fleshly ordinance, not only ought to be 
maintained, but is essential to our becoming truly Christ's 
subjects in this our tabernacles of flesh, and in support of 
it could, I think, speak volumes ^but our friend Theoph- 
ilus seemed to awake as from a dream, and hastily 
caught hold of the clue I had put into his hands, by dis- 
criminating between the succession in the flesh and in 
the spirit, and thereon I hope he will now favor us with 
his views. I will only, before he commences, beg he will 
supply what I had not time enough 'to do at the close of 
our last discourse, viz. some observations on the confirm- 
ation which seems to have been considered an essential, 
if not the most essential part of the process of initiation. 
I am desirous to hear you all discuss this, whilst I will 
enact the moderator, and smoke my cigar tranquilly. 
By the by, Rusticus, how do you like these cigars? I 
received them (as a kind token from a young officer who 
formerly served with me) but yesterday. They are all 
real Havanas, and these long ones are pure virgins, a 
new sort : try one. 

Rusticus. I thank you, Hermit, I will do so gladly, 
which will prevent our interrupting our friend Akky and 
Thopy, to whom I shall be all attentive. Proceed then, 
friend Theophilus, with your eulogium on our host : s or- 
thodoxy, and consequent regain of his proper place in 
your esteem. That 's where you left off on Wednesday 
night; but perhaps you will first favor us with a few 
words on the duty of ministers of the gospel? 



106 

Theophilus. The duty of ministers of the gospel 1 
conceive to be as living oracles, for spiritual instruction 
on scriptural authority, to members of Christ's body, and 
for spiritual guidance in all concerns, and for the con- 
stant and uninterrupted administration of the sacraments, 
baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

Where there are no ministers appointed or approved 
by our Lord specially, it may be questioned how far are 
members of the christian family authorized by the scrip- 
tures or by custom to administer the same ? and when 
qualified to do so, by evident endowment ? and also to 
fulfill other duties of the ministry ? 

Authority is in every church to ordain a ministry for 
that church in consistence with the laws of their associ- 
ation, but no church can have any authority to ordain 
ministers with exclusive spiritual authority, unless ap- 
proved by the head, even our Lord Jesus Christ ; and 
every association has a right to declare what is sufficient 
testimony of our Lord's approbation, and if that testi- 
mony be given. Ministers so ordained should be re- 
ceived and be obeyed, within the limits of their jurisdic- 
tion, by every member of that association. 

Academicus. When baptized in the name of the- 
Lord, are we by that, baptized into the general church of 
Christ's mystical body, or into any particular church or 
sect? and do we owe subordinate spiritual allegiance to 
the ministers of any particular sect or church? 

Theophilus. We are baptized into the universal 
church, and thenceforth owe all spiritual allegiance to its 
head, even to Jesus Christ our Lord ; and we owe the 
same, in due subordination to him, to all his ministers, 
known to be duly and truly endowed with his authority, 
and we should have reasonable testimony of our Lord's 
approval of their office. 

Academicus. Is the pope duly authorized to hold spir- 
itual dominion of the visible church on earth ? 

Theophilus. It does not appear that our Lord has 
given any authority to any human being to bear any such 
universal rule, even on earth, much less in heaven. Pe-. 
ter himself never used any such, or pretended it, and for 
any man to claim such jurisdiction without express and 
well-attested authority from our Lord to him, (the pope,) 
is usurpation of an authority which our Lord appears to 
have kept in his own hands only. The situation is known 
by historical testimony to have been held by wicked men, 
by our Lord's providential permission certainly, and by 



107 

a human system of mortal succession, but has never 
had the unquestionable authority of our Lord. There- 
fore he is antichrist, even if he be not the antichrist, an 
idol, and whoever acknowledges divine authority to be 
in that person or office as now constituted, in so far as he 
does so, he is an idolater and a rebel against the Lord : 
and thus do all the ministry of the papal church, and 
therefore have no title to be received as the ministers of 
Christ. 

Academtcus. Are the bishops and ministers of the 
church of England to be accredited as duly authorized 
ministers of God's word, and are they exclusively au- 
thorized to administer the sacraments and to instruct the 
people ? 

Theophilus-. Our bishops appear to be as objection- 
ably installed into their office as the pope ; our Lord's 
consent and approbation being without any visible sign 
of it, and not even being inquired for 5 and the ordination 
of priests and deacons is subject to a similar objection. 
Therefore, as spiritual freedom is the natural endow- 
ment of every man. and faith cannot he made subject to 
human laws, the ministers of our English church have 
no exclusive spiritual jurisdiction, except where they are 
duly acknowledged to have authority, which can only so 
far be considered divine as the testimony commands our 
faith — which testimony should be unquestionable. It is 
not so now. 

Academic us. Has the ministry of any known sect 
divine autnority -for its ministers? 

Theophilus. I know of none. The Dissenters, 
Methodists and others, have even a more objectionable 
title to be esteemed as Christ's ministers, than those of 
our church ; except only, as I understand, the Moravi- 
ans, who are said to be chosen by lot, by which the 
Lord's will is sought in all questions requiring it, by that 
people. If indeed this be so. they only of all christians 
can be said to be under Christ's own government. 

Academicus. Are then christians in common entitled 
to administer or dispense the sacraments of baptism and 
the Lord's supper in humble duty to our Lord ? 

Theophilus. I believe they are not; and with re- 
spect to the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's sup- 
per — the former give all the privileges of christians, the 
latter appears to be sign of fellowship commemorative of 
the great sacrifice of our Lord, and therefore as a com- 
mon duty and pledge of faith, should be the universal 



108 

practice of christians, whenever bread and wine are 
used in their repasts, either special, for the very purpose 
of the institution, or general, on the occasion of custom- 
ary general repast. It was by the breaking of bread thus 
by blessing, that our Lord was recognized ; and in their 
repasts so should all christians be known to each other, 
by this sign. 

Ac ademicus. Do you mean that the sacrament of the 
Lord's supper should be open for the administration of 
all christian men, and should be considered as merely a 
commemorative ordinance and sign (perhaps secret to 
the non-initiated) of christian fellowship, such perhaps 
as exists in freemasonry ? 

Theophilus. I mean all this, but with some neces- 
sary limitations. First, the common repasts ought never 
to be converted into this sacrament, and it can never be 
commemorated in company of which the profane make 
a part. In families truly christian, the day should be 
closed by this sacrament and prayers, and besides which 
a public administration in church at least weekly, and on 
holydays, and where there is no priest by a senior mem- 
ber chosen by the congregation of communicants from 
among themselves, and approved by the churches with 
whom we hold communion. 

Ac ademicus. Does then the apostolic succession, 
boasted of by the Roman and English churches, mean 
nothing ? 

Theophilus. It is merely, as it is now practiced, a 
human mode of inheritance, adopted for the transmission 
of spiritual authority, and this is valuable more particu- 
larly as giving stability to the testimony continued 
through succeeding generations, not only to the ordin- 
ances, but to the traditions of the church ; for it should 
be borne in mind, the churches were formed on oral 
testimony, as a means to continue the sure evidence of 
the events of gospel history, then but orally current, yet 
capable of proof, by living testimony through all suc- 
ceeding generations, until our Lord should come again. 
The gospels and epistles were not even written until the 
churches even of the Gentiles had been formed, and were 
not collected into one volume, until the days of Constan- 
tine, in the fourth century ; so that the New Testament 
does not affect to give rules fcr forming churches, but is 
addressed to churches already formed, in which the gos- 
pel history was received by the witnesses, living testi mo- 



109 

ny, and continued in the same church downwards 
through time by their ordinances founded thereon. 

As this testimony stands now undenied and undenia- 
able, ail the facts commemorated and recorded in both 
testaments are now become public property, and 
the mere formal, monumental ordinances for the trans- 
mission of the evidence of facts of those days to these our 
own and still later times, become less necessary perhaps 
For punctilious precision of observance ; but there are 
some which it does not appear the church can ever part 
with until our Lord's return — the commemoration of 
our Saviour's birth of a virgin, of his circumcision, his 
baptism, crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension, 
and all else, the Lord's day, the conversion of Cornelius, 
the first fruits of the Gentiles, the conversion of Paul 
our apostle, and the days of the martydom of the apos- 
tles and evangelists. But above all, the sacrament of the 
Lord's supper should be kept daily from house to house, 
and in mutual fellowship. In short, the church of Eng- 
land seems perfect, if our Lord had not been dethroned 
and his authority usurped by satanic influence, by which 
the hierarchy of the church now lords it over Christ's 
heritage, instead of ministering to it, and now monopolizes 
the sacraments, and assumes the true character of spirit- 
ual despotism. 

You may perceive, my friends, I have descended far 
below the presumed rights or powers of an episcopal 
ministry with which I had been imbued. This confes- 
sion has resulted from our conversations. In truth, I 
think our church must descend far below its present un- 
hallowed pretensions, before men can yield themselves 
without reserve, to their authority. 

Rusticus. Be so good then, dear Theophilus, as to 
tell us your present views of the apostolic succession. 

Theophilus. It appears to me most strange that the 
part of the constitution of our episcopal church which 
seems to my mind the most simple and clearly under- 
stood, should be so difficult to be explained and demon- 
strated satisfactorily even to myself. I attribute my fail- 
ure hitherto to my own overweaning confidence, that all 
reasonable men could not fail to see the reason of the 
thing (I mean the necessity of preserving the apostolical 
succession pure and unquestionable) as clearly as mj-self, 
and in part my failure has been owing to my own awk- 
wardness; for although in our previous discussions, Ac- 
ademicus seemed even to mvself to manage his argu- 
10 



110 

ments better than I did, yet they have failed to con- 
vince me that I was wrong, and I return to the subject 
with so much the more assurance, as our host seems now 
on my side. And 1 owe him my apology for having so 
much mistaken him. But I must entreat you, my friends, 
not to fancy that the subject is not capable of perfect de- 
fence, even if I by over-confidence or awkwardness 
should again fail in my defence of this essential bulwark 
of the church of Christ. And if I should happen to leave 
any of the breaches unrepaired or undefended, 1 look 
with confidence to the Hermit to supply my dehciences. 

In some part of our former discourses, HeFmit made 
out a few striking analogies. They were these. God, 
the universal father, the eternal spirit, is to Christ in the 
flesh as Jesus Christ is to his church, or to men incorpo- 
rated in the body of the church, or to man as a member 
of the same, and as the soul of individual man is to the 
body, and as the man to his wife. The analogy may be 
pursued even through all the filial relations. Thus 
Christ is the son of God, and the church, or the woman } 
the church itself is the daughter of Christ, his offspring, 
and his wife taken from his side on the cross ; and man 
himself is the son of the woman naturally, and of the 
church spiritually, &c. 

Now Christ was promised to be the seed of the woman, 
the seed of Adam, of Seth, of Noah, of Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob and of David. If the line by the flesh had been 
broken in any way, under any circumstances ; that is, if 
he had not been all these, he would not have been the 
Christ promised in the Bible, and the descent by the na- 
tural line, by the flesh, was not made at ail to depend on 
the spiritual endowments of those through whom the 
seed was transmitted ; for many of David's successors, 
and probably of his ancestors, were probably as rank apos- 
tates as any bishops ; yet this was not suffered to cancel 
the promise, nor mar the inheritance of himself or any of 
his progenitors in the land of Canaan, whatever it might 
have done as regards its antitype, the kingdom of heaven. 

So, my friends, the church of Christ is not a mere spir- 
itual body, (and herein I think lies the common mis- 
take.) but it is the fleshly body of Christ, owned by him 
in this relation. She is his bride in the flesh, and in the 
flesh, frail though it be, she must be and remain until her 
Lord come ayain in the flesh, and subject to sin and de- 
filement. When that epoch shall arrive, his everlasting 
marriage will take place: he will then impart to her his 



Ill 

own perfect nature, his own glory and purity in both spir- 
it and flesh, which will then be subject to neither sin 
nor defilement The earthly origin of the church was as 
humble and lowly as that of her Lord ; it so pleased him. 
Her birth was from himself; the law of her life, or con- 
tinuance in existence was founded on himself, the chief 
corner-stone, the rock on which, as a building, she was 
to be erected. The foundation stones of that building 
were the apostles, and the law for carrying on this build- 
ing was contained in the command, " Go ye unto all na- 
tions, disciplining or teaching them to obey me in the 
precepts, which J have delivered to you, baptizing them 
in the name of," &c. This name, my friends, we all un- 
derstand was the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, the 
eternal Jesus, father, son and holy ghost. All which are 
the characters or names assumed by the only one God 
almighty, manifested in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Now to whom was this command given ? I say to the 
eleven exclusively, not to the others of the five hundred 
.then present. The eleven were then the only members 
of the church then incorporated into one body by this 
command as an ordinance in the flesh, afterwards to be 
cemented together as living stones by the unction of the 
spirit, his spirit, even the holy ghost. This command in- 
volved all the duties of the ministry and government of 
the church, its organization as a body corporate, and its 
entire structure. The whole church, all its powers as a 
body corporate, were then contained in those eleven 
members, who, under the direction of the holy ghost, 
were endowed with all the gifts necessary for the gov- 
ernment of the whole body, even when it should be de- 
veloped in all its magnitude and glory, still subject to 
the Lord and to him only. The apostles, individually, 
had no separate jurisdiction, powers or authority. They 
could do nothing as a body, but in the whole body, and 
of this body Peter was the first head in subordination to 
the Lord. 

What was their first act (see Acts i ) when the num- 
bers associated were one hundred and twenty, but evi- 
dently none were in the ministry or government of the 
body, save only the eleven, now incomplete bv the defec- 
tion of the traitor ? Now although the hundred and twen- 
ty were associated by their experience and feeling, they 
were not incorporated with them by any formal act, as it 
would appear, and certainly were not all qualified for the 
apostolic office or ministry. The command, " Go ye," 



112 

&c. was not given to all, but to the eleven only; nor 
does it appear certain that any more than, or any others 
than the two named of the whole number assembled, 
were qualified for the vacant office by their experience 
and knowledge, supposing them both equally qualified in 
the minds of the apostles; and it does not appear by the 
record that the rest of the assembly appointed the two ; 
it does not appear that they (the whole assemby) elected 
these two, but that they (the apostles) appointed two; for 
it would be contrary to all reason that the apostles would 
think of submitting the choice of an associate for them- 
selves, in duties not to be restricted, to that assembly, but 
who was to go forth with them into all the world. I say 
it would be absurd to suppose such a thing ; yet on this 
supposition, absurd as it seems, all sectarian self-ordina- 
tion to missionary or apostolic labors are founded. I real- 
ly cannot, for the life of me, see in the scriptures, much 
less in the traditional history of the church, on what 
plea, or tests, or practice, the presumptuous usurpation 
of the apostolic or the ministerial offices can be justified. # 
If indeed, our Lord himself, by any supernatural, or mi- 
raculous or spiritual agency, which shall be manifestly 
his own work, shall think fit to call any man to this, as of 
old he was used to do to the prophetic office, who can 
question his authority — his natural right to do so? But 
then the act must be openly shown and known to be his, 
for the assurance of those to whom he is sent ; for behold I 
see the gracious condescension of our Lord in order not 
to lay too great a burden on the weak faith of his chil- 
dren, and to secure them against unauthorized pastors, 
teachers or preachers, wolves in sheep's clothing, &c, 
&c. Even those whom he calls and sends by his spirit, 
he subjects to the proper natural authority, vested in his 
church to stamp them with ihe natural seal of that corpo- 
rate body, one most prominent example of which is our 
blessed apostle Paul. Although he was called by a stupen- 
dous miracle, yet did he not receive the command to go 
forth, &c, until his call had been fully verified in the 
face of the church ; and his mission to the Gentiles was 
by command of the holy ghost, verified and fully testi- 
fied to, by the laying on of the hands of the church by its 
ministers at Antioch. 

And thus it was with the prophets of old. We believe 
they were anointed to their office, by publicly ac- 
knowledged competent authority, and so far as the record 
goes, we see no instance of their appointment's ever hav^ 



113 

ingbeen questioned, but on the contrary the words they 
were commanded by the holy ghost for our instruction 
and comfort to write, were received in faith as God's own 
words ; yet were they always verified by some manifest 
signs that they were from God himself, although but lit- 
tle and ill-understood by all, even to this our own day. 
I could digress much, but the nature of our present in- 
quiry, Where is the church ? Who are the church? In 
this Inquiry, wherein we have it at present shut up in the 
persons of the twelve apostles, it will now be necessary 
to pursue their church history in the acts recorded. 

We read then of the conversion and baptism of thou- 
sands, of there being tens of thousands even in the church, 
at Jerusalem, but no ministry or government among 
them, which was not vested in and exercised exclusively 
by the apostolical body, and all subject only to the direc- 
tion of our Lord, only by his spirit. I shall here just 
glance at a mislake that seems to be of old standing ia 
the church. It is supposed by the Romans, that Peter 
was the first bishop of Rome, and they found their ab- 
surd claim to infallibility, and to universal spiritual des- 
potism, on this plea. But surely he who runs may read, 
that Rome was most specially committed to Paul. Acts 
xxiv. 2. Rom. i. 2, &c. Resides which, we do not find 
that any of the twelve, or Paul the apostle to the Gen- 
tiles by special appointment, were ever the local bishops, 
or overseers of any single church or district. They es- 
tablished churches every where, overlooked and regulat- 
ed them all. They appointed their officers, and espeo 
ially three distinct orders of them, now denominated by 
us, bishops, priests and deacons. They communicated 
to them spiritual gifts, seven sorts of which are enume- 
rated in several places. The orders of the ministry called 
Christ's gifts, are four; Ephes. iv. 2; and of individual 
endowments, nine are specially noted in 1 Cor. xii. All 
these gifts of office or the spirit were the special gift of 
Christ through the apostles only by the laying- on of their 
hands, and ratified by the laying on of the hands of those 
who had been so apostolically appointed to certain offices, 
as the elders, so that without these gifts of office, and of 
the spirit, no church could be called a church, because 
not established. This distinction is seen in all Paul's 
epistles. 

When any church or churches were so established, 
they had the powers of propagating and transmitting the 
same endowments, to beget and establish other churches 
10* 



114 

in like manner. But to every individual man the spirit 
divided his gifts as he willed, and so likewise to every in- 
dividual church : and the whole family of Christ, distin- 
guished by churches, is called one catholic or universal 
church, in which family all the familiar relations may be 
distinguishable, as of the mother church in Jerusalem, 
of whom all others are daughters, all established by the 
same spirit and by the instrumentality of any particular 
missionary apostle, maybe called sisters, and each church 
had the power to propagate and extend itself by natural 
generation, or means, even as the human race. Each 
church then stood in the same analagous relations to 
other churches, as parents, brethren, or children, as in- 
dividual christians or men do naturally with each other. 

Thus, my friends, I have given a cursory and very 
compendious, and brief outline of the generations of the 
church, as to the nature of its propagation and govern- 
ment in primitive times ; this I conceive to be the apos- 
tolical church of Jesus Christ, and is what is called the 
orthodox view. 

In the relations which I have described, they lose no 
right to be included in any other social privileges, ac- 
corded in society to any other men, or bodies of men, 
with any other bodies or individuals associated on other 
and worldly relations. Thus any, or all the churches or 
office-holders therein, and every individual, have the 
same right to hold property, inheritances, and the goods 
of this world, as any others associated on any other prin- 
ciples, but their principles forbid their exercise of any 
temporal authority whatever. The church members 
ought not to be subjected to any pains and penalties but 
excommunion or excision, and to no restraints but love 
and charity ; all must be volunteers, nor flinch from their 
allegiance to their gracious Lord and Saviour, even unto 
death. 

So that no church can be apostolically settled which is 
not derived visibly and sensibly, from some church of 
apostolical origin. An unbroken succession in fleshly or- 
dinances, commencing with the facts intended to be 
commemorated thereby, is the strongest and best testi- 
mony which can be given in the flesh, of the facts so 
commemorated. Thus the unbroken ministerial or epis- 
copal succession is too valuable as testimony, to justify 
its being dispensed with by us, as men and christians. 

Now, as in this country there are many such, as no- 
toriously have not such an origin, and men fancy them- 



115 

selves authorized to form church communities when, 
where, and how they please ; to appoint their own office- 
holders, and to be subject to no other spiritual control or 
jurisdiction than such as they are pleased to impose on 
themselves, and such as willingly submit to them, 1 am 
not disposed to question their right to do as they please, 
for our Lord left even the wicked Jews to do as they 
pleased, even to the murder of him, their Lord and King; 
but this I will venture to assert, even in America, that 
their churches are not founded on the apostles, nor by 
any authority derived from them, on the Rock, the chief 
corner-stone, Jesus Christ, neither can the apostolically 
derived churches have any fellowship or communion 
with them, for they are of men, not of God; they may 
have gone out from us, but are not of us. 

Now the man who would be baptized into the church 
of Christ, as it was built and constituted by the apos- 
tles, must not, or ought not to hazard his salvation in so 
vital a point, as to trust his own judgment, nor any other 
man's, but boldly enter within the vail of Christ's apos- 
tolic church, in the way which he has appointed : there- 
fore you will not wonder at the satisfaction I testified at 
Hermit's opinion on the subject, so consonant with my 
own. 

I am called on however, by our host, to say a word or 
two on the completion of that initiatory sacrament by con- 
firmation, of which the Romans have made another cere- 
mony and another sacrament, and the sectarians dispense 
with it altogether. 

We must, I fear, return to the history of the apostoli- 
cal acts for a rule both of the external ceremonies and 
spiritual faith, as to what is acceptable to the Lord. No 
notice is taken of any subdivision of the labors of the 
ministry until Acts vi., when seven men were chosen by 
the brethren, not by the apostles, with certain qualifica- 
tions, of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, and wis- 
dom, qualifications which could only be known by sen- 
sible manifestation, and whether full of the Holy Ghost, 
could only be known by corresponding super-human 
works; qualifications which could not be mistaken. 
The form and manner of selecting or electing these can- 
didates is not recorded, therefore it is presumable that it 
is of little importance. The conclusion however, is noted 
briefly, and sufficiently fully, " and when they had pray- 
ed they laid hands on them." Now, it appears by the 
book, that they did not. as in the case of Matthias, com- 



116 

municate the fall powers of an apostle to them, that their 
ministry was local and limited in power ; that even these 
men, called deacons, were only authorized to perform 
the outward and visible ordinance of baptism with water. 
An authority limited as this was, even this does not ap- 
pear to have been confided to any others of the many 
myriads of brethren at that time, and the inference is 
clear, that none could ever baptize without apostolic au- 
thority, specifically given ; so clear indeed, that I should 
fear to rest my claim to the glorious gospel promises to 
the church, to this apostolic church, by accepting bap- 
tism from any hands not apostolically authorized. This 
authority was not always given so ceremoniously ; for at 
the baptism of Cornelius and his house, the first fruits of 
the Gentiles, Peter says, " Can any man forbid water 
that these should not be baptized which have received 
the Holy Ghost, as well as we ? " " and he commanded 
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." 

Now, in these few words, there is contained a complete 
refutation of some common errors in some who have de- 
parted from us. First, of the Quakers, who deny the ne- 
cessity of outward ordinances, and yet are fastidiously 
scrupulous in measuring men's piety by their moral 
works. Second, of the Baptists, who insist, that with- 
out immerson of the entire body in water, there is no 
baptism, and contend that its entire efficacy depends on 
the formal process of its operation, and yet quarrel with, 
and quit us, because we have reduced the stated services 
of public worship, and the public administration of the 
ordinances to order and form. Thirdly, the fastidious 
and formal trinitarian, may here learn that the name of 
" Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," is one name, of one 
person, even of the Lord ; and by Acts ii. he will see 
they were commanded to be baptized in the name of Je- 
sus Christ. By this, I say, as our friend Hermit has be- 
fore shown, that the holy trinity, as expressed by the 
words or name, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is mani- 
fested, and belongs to one only person, even Jesus 
Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, and that there are 
not in any sense, three persons in our God, for the Lord 
our God, is one Lord, the eternal. Fourthty, the pre- 
sumptuous men, who assume the authority to baptize in 
the triune name, without apostolic authority. This did 
not Cornelius and his associates, even after they were 
filled with the Holy Ghost. They were not baptized until 
Peter commanded it to be done, nor could any man pre- 
sume so to baptize unless so commanded. 



117 

I am now come to speak of the second part of baptism, 
in which I confess, with shame and grief, that our church 
is cruelly negligent. It is seen, that when the power to 
baptize with water was given, that to baptize with the 
Holy Spirit was not ; namely, to the chosen seven. This 
tlie apostles kept in their own hands. It is stated by 
Paul to be the doctrine of the laying on of hands, which 
was for the gifts of the Holy Ghost generally, and on 
the nomination to offices for special or local purposes, 
for the peculiar gifts necessary to qualify them for the 
special services for which they were appointed. 

It may please the Lord ceitainly to give the Holy 
Ghost to whom he will ; but the baptism by water, even 
by the ordinances of our church, can give no man 
ground to believe that the seal of the Holy Ghost has 
been applied to him; for confirmation by apostolic order, 
is the only ordinary means of obtaining the gift of the 
Holy Ghost ; and no man can enter the kingdom of God, 
or see it, unless he be born again of water and of the 
Spirit, which all reasonable men must see, are claimed 
by the ordinances of baptism and confirmation; and there 
can be no valid baptism or confirmation but by ministers 
duly ordained with such power by succession to the apos- 
tles, which, in our church, is performed by priests or dea- 
cons, with water, but confirmed by the gifts of the Spirit 
by bishops only, and generally about the age of thirteen 
or twelve, when the Jews always made their public pro- 
fession of faith, or as our Lord, at the age of twelve. 
Now all sectarians despise this completion of the bap- 
tism with the Holy Ghost. Now as this lays at the very 
threshold of the christian profession, it is really too seri- 
ous a thing to be neglected. Thus the Ephesians, al- 
though baptized and brought into church order, were 
only confirmed by Paul. 

All sectarians despise this ordinance, and too many of 
the church neglect it as a thing of no importance. The 
application of the water, may vary in form and manner, 
according to circumstances ; but whether the baptized be 
accepted. or not, can only be known by the gifts of the 
Spirit, and this cannot be expected ordinarily, by any 
other ordinance than by confirmation. When the adult 
example (supposed by Hermit,) of a man seeking salva- 
tion in the pale of the church, may have been baptized 
with water, by a regular minister of an apostolic and 
episcopal church, hi3 next step is to be confirmed by % 
bishop. 



118 

I have now brought my observations on the apostoli- 
cal succession to a close, and our discussion up to the 
point where Hermit left it ; and I trust Academicus will 
now fully understand the length and breadth of my 
meaning by it. 

Academicus, My friend Theophilus, I really am ob- 
liged to you for your very lucid exposition, not only of 
the apostolic succession, but for your outline of a perfect 
spiritual government of the christian church, and your 
numerous very excellent remarks. You have given us 
a view of the primitive system of Christianity, as to its 
polity — its spiritual polity I mean — which is so perfect 
that we had little difficulty in tracing to its very perfec- 
tion and simplicity, all the mischiefs of the spiritual des- 
potism which has grown out of it, after its ministry be- 
came corrupt and fell into the snares of Satan, the world, 
and the flesh. All the evils of our present divisions and 
sects, appear to have grown out of this apostacy ; and my 
apparent opposition to your views has not arisen from 
anj' doubt of the system of apostolical succession having 
originally been as perfect as for fallible and mortal men 
it could have been made, for I believe the system to 
have been our Lord's own work. But there is a heart- 
lessness, negligence, pride, and apathy, as to the spirit- 
ual endowments or gifts, and as regards familiar and in- 
dividual religion in the mass of the episcopalian minis- 
try even of this day, that warrants my skepticism in 
concluding that, seeing Satan has succeeded in obtaining 
the patronage of the episcopal churches generally, some 
justification may be offered for those who are so convinc- 
ed, for hesitating; nay, for absolutely refusing to de- 
liver their souls into the keeping of men who are mani- 
festly and notoriously of Satan's choosing, and whose 
administration in the service of the Lord must be poi- 
soned by the very principles, so notoriously worldly (and 
therefore Satanic,) by which they have generally been 
elected into their offices in Christ's episcopal church — 
for the most part too, they are manifestly condemned by 
their works, which are the natural fruits of unrighteous- 
ness ; their general character too, is, that in every thing, 
even those who walk in the straight paths of this world's 
morality, in their whole demeanor and teaching they ap- 
pear as lords of Christ's heritage, rather than the min- 
isters, shepherds or servants of Christ's flock: their 
consequential piide, arising from their genteel provision, 
and their habits of social intercourse with genteel so- 



119 

ciety, only render it impossible generally, that the mass, 
the poor, all the classes lower in the scale of human ap- 
praisement than that in which their own persons and 
family are used to move, in their worldly relations, are 
shut out from familiar communion with them, and are 
therefore deprived of the comforts, instruction, and re-< 
ligious benefits they ought to expect from their ministry, 
Tney dare not associate or be seen with publicans and 
sinners ; they dare not visit a low vulgar public house, 
or a brothel, fearing to follow the example of him they 
call their God and Lord, lest they fall under the cen- 
sure of the genteel part of the community, the world, 
their real master. Admitting that their succession in 
the flesh is perfectly legitimate f.ora the apostles, yet 
the apostolic office was not of the flesh, but the Spirit. 
Christ's church is purely spiritual in all its ordinances, 
which indeed must be kept in the flesh and in the letter; 
but the spirit is the very life and soul thereof; for he is 
not a Jew who is only so outwardly by circumcision, 
nor a christian who is only so by water-baptism. I 
could multiply texts without number, but you, my friend, 
know them all better than I do. I will confess, how- 
ever, that we are in a fearful dilemma between the let- 
ter in flesh which killeth, and the spirit in the word, 
which alone is life. Yet so intimately united here, are 
the spirit and life with the flesh, that we know not of 
ourselves how to separate them, or practically to dis- 
criminate. Is not this the case put by our Lord, of an 
offending right eye ; the eye is a symbol or emblem of 
spiritual power in all scripture ; but he says, u if thine 
eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee," &c. 
This was Luther's case. In his reformation he was forc- 
ed to abandon the apostolic succession in the flesh, be- 
cause it had lost the spirit, and he cast it from him. 
Calvin was obliged to do the same ; whilst our fathers, 
Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, and others, were able to 
effect our reform without such a sacrifice; but in doing 
this, they were forced to yield the church, and that very 
succession to the apostles by fleshly ordinances, into the 
hands of its spiritual enemy, the world ; and its patron 
and friend, Satan, is too intimate with that world, its 
powers and dominions, not to use his deadly influence 
for the exclusion of God's Holy Spirit, and counter- 
working it by every hellish art, his malice can contrive. 
And alas ! he has succeeded but too well. 

I think, my apostolic friend, even you are not prepar- 



120 

ed utterly to condemn all those good and great men, and 
that even you would not hazard your salvation to pre- 
serve that in the flesh, which without the spirit means 
nothing, and is nothing worth. Let me ask you, for our 
host has hazarded an assertion that rather astonished me, 
if the apostolic succession existed unbroken in no church 
except the papal church of Rome, with its Trentine 
creed, and open creature worship, and so far as we can 
see, without any one holy spiritual gift, would you haz- 
ard your salvation in that church rather than be baptized 
in any other church, seemingly governed by correct 
principles, without this fleshly apostolical succession? 

Thf.ophilus. You have put a hard question, a*nd I 
think I hardly know myself well enough to answer 
how I should decide ; but think 1 should pray sincerely 
to our Lord for the guidance of his Spirit, long and 
patiently halting between two opinions. But I thank 
my Lord God most sincerely, that, from the wreck of 
Christianity by corruption, he has saved one branch of 
his church pure in profession, wherein a man, be he ever 
so spiritually minded, may, I know, obtain the salvation 
promised by the gospel, without hazard from rank idol- 
atry, wherein, if the ministers be not so pure and per- 
fect as they ought to be, nor do so much good as ought 
to be expected from them, yet they do not impose on 
their flocks the necessity of most idolatrous practices to- 
tally subversive of true spiritual Christianity, and the 
truths of the gospel, to the utter destruction of any soul 
who willingly partakes therein. You must admit also, 
that in our church ministry of the English church there 
have been as many examples of piety, learning, and 
christian humility as in any age or country, and as much 
devoted to the service of the Lord. And Academicus, I 
will now ask you one question. Where is the man of 
any sect, (even my friend, himself.) who would be bold 
enough to enact that part of Satan's character in Job, as 
the accuser of his brethren ? Who, I say, is so confi- 
dent in his own christian perfection, as to personate 
the accuser of the ministry of the Episcopal church of 
England, as a body, before the throne of our Lord ? Of 
good men, we can imagine none other than the spirit of 
our blessed apostle Paul himself, who indeed, has great 
cause to complain of us ; but of the sects, churches, and 
denominations of Christianity, our church can recognize 
none so perfect as to qualify them for the office of com- 
plainants, for she does not feel herself at liberty to per- 



121 

secute or to injure any one. She does indeed, in her 
corporate capacity, pity and pray for all, and she refuses 
neither instruction nor communion from and with any 
one who seeks it in the spirit of christian love and char- 
ity. And is there one christian sect (except, perhaps the 
Moravian, which never rails,) to whom the church might 
not, without much pains-taking, return railing for rail- 
ing, and accusation for accusation? And let us hope that 
even you, my friend, as well as all those w T ho are the 
friends of our Lord, and of his kingdom, and all who 
may be our enemies, rather to pray for and aid us to re- 
form our errors and abuses, than try to overwhelm us 
with shame and confusion, as if there were none so 
great sinners as the episcopal clergy. In our Lord's 
own words, I say, " Let him that is guiltless cast the first 
stone." Let us remember, above all, that our ministry 
has no secret conclaves, il is open to the view of the 
whole world, in all its acts, which can hardly be said of 
any other, and subjects the people, the church, to no ca- 
pricious despotism, nor to a tyranny of any sort. It is 
confessed that we are not perfect. It is acknowledged 
we ought to aim, by all means, to become so ; we pray 
for the Spirit's grace for this purpose, and we sail quiet- 
ly and steadily, and soberly, among the quicksands of 
infidelity, impiety, and of extravagant enthusiasm, and 
of idolatry, and barbarism. Our yoke is easy, our bur- 
den is light; we avoid with equal care the extremes of 
infidelity, licentiousness, and superstition, and impose no 
will-worship on the flocks, for a standard of godliness by 
the will of enthusiasts. To sum all in a word, the char- 
acter of our church is sobriety in faith and practice, es- 
chewing extravagance and enthusiasm, but zealous of 
good works; before men we stand blameless; before 
God, we presume not to have any righteousness of 
our own. We know ourselves to be but dust and ashes, 
but clothed in the robes of our Saviour's righteousness, 
we venture to present ourselves continually before his 
throne of love, in the name of our Lord, and faith in the 
efficacy of his atoning blood. Humbly, but with a steady 
faith, we pray ever for daily and continual supplies of 
his spirit and his grace to guide us to all truth : amen. 

Hermit. Amen. 
/Rusticus and Academtcus. Amen. 

Academicus. My dear Theophilus, it is worth while 
to goad your episcopacy, for really I never before have 
heard you so eloquent. Having changed your weapon 



122 

from the shield to the sword, you have used this weapon 
most manfully, and almost thou persuadest me to be a 
churchman. I really am both delighted and instructed. 
Although I have heard or read the same things, I have 
never heard them so impressively stated, and I promise 
you, that I will join you with my hearty prayers always 
that the church may ever find grace with the Lord to 
see and amend her own faults. Serious faults, and griev- 
ous, 1 know she has, and so do you too, my friend Theo- 
philus, which in argument you could not refute; but the 
charge of assuming the character of the accuser, whilst 
but remonstrating in the feeling and language of friend- 
ly observation and concern, 1 must feel sharply, how- 
ever I may have merited it, and it will make me pause 
before I again venture to expose the failings of the epis- 
copal church of England, lest I draw on myself the re- 
iteration of such an unkind and inconsiderate assimila- 
tion to Satan. 1 must however remind you, my friendy 
how much you wronged me, in the languge of scripture,, 
" If Satan be divided against himself, how shall his king'- 
dom stand r " I was bewailing Satan's influence in the 
church, and advocating his expulsion. Is this the lan- 
guage of the accuser of the brethren ? 

Theophiltjs. Pardon me, my dear Academicus, if in 
the warmth of our debate, my observation (which was 
far otherwise intended,) seemed to apply to you person- 
ally; for, as regarding my own observations on sectarians,, 
it might with as much or more justice apply to myself. 
With respect to the sects also, I might have found a more 
appropriate similitude in the self-righteous Pharisee, who 
was not only his own eulogist, but could see no good at 
all in his neighbor. The excuses of sectarians for sepa- 
ration, is, I think, too commonly of this character, set- 
ting forth their own righteousness, and the delinquen- 
cies of our ungodly church. 

Academicus. Our friend Theophilus' overwhelming- 
defence of, and eulogium on the episcopal church, quite 
drove out of my head the few observations which the 
Hermit requested from each of us. 1 do not think I can 
at all improve on the general view of that sacrament 
taken by Theophilus, namely, that baptism by water, is 
necessary as the outward and formal ceremony, alto- 
gether fleshly, into that society of men who believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, the same who is made known to 
us in the four gospels, the truth of which is testified un- 
to by our Lord, under his own signature, Amen, as his 
fleshly seal, and also by his Holy Spirit in various ways, 



123 

all through the New Testament; and also verified by the 
predictions written by direction of" the same Holy Spirit 
all through the Old Testament, that Jesus of .Nazareth, 
was begotten of the Spirit of the eternal and universal 
God Almighty ; that he died on the cross, executed as 
an evil-doer or malefactor, not for his own sins, for he 
was spotless, but for ours, for the sins of the whole world, 
that is, for the whole race of Adam and Eve ; that his 
death was no simulous or sham death, but real as the 
death of any other man, proved by the blood and water 
which flowed from his body when pierced, proving that 
the spear must have pierced his heart, where alone, in 
the human body, blood and water, in distinct form, are 
generated ; that this man, begotten of the Spirit of the 
one Almighty Spirit, was by nature one with God, in 
whom only God ever was or ever will be manifested, or 
show himself to mankind ; that this Jesus, once dead, rose 
again from the dead, both in body and soul, by the power 
of the Holy Spirit which was in him, on the third day, 
and continued to show himself during forty days, on the 
earth to hundreds of witnesses, to whom he gave full 
evidence of his being the very same man they had known 
before his public execution, and gave them power and 
the command to bear witness of these' facts , and of his 
whole history on earth, to all future generations, as is 
done by the New Testament, and by all the ordinances 
of this religion, of which baptism by water, is the very 
first in order; that he ascended visibly to Heaven, and 
was received into universal space, where he rules over 
all God's creation with almighty power, a power derived 
from almighty power, called the Father, or Univer- 
sal, Eternal, Almighty, in a manner beyond the nature 
of men to comprehend ; but this power almighty of Jesus 
Christ is not a delegated power, but his own by right and 
nature. In short He is, He was, He ever will be the 
only one God Almighty, Eternal, Ever-hving, and Uni- 
versal Jehovah, Elohim, Amen. To him, and to God in 
him, all our worship, praise, and prayers, are to be ad- 
dressed, and to him all glory given as to him only due, 
in heaven and in earth. 

This creed results to me from our familiar conversa- 
tions, but is, or appears to me, strictly scriptural ; and I 
have been more precise in stating it, because if such pre- 
cision were used in professing our faith at our baptism, I 
must believe that this grand doctrine would not be lia- 
ble to suffer and to create sectarian, (nay Satanic) dif- 



124 

ferences, feuds, and disorders, in the christian family, as 
it has done. I mention this, because, in my own person, 
although baptized in my infancy, and reared, and in- 
structed in all the usual forms of episcopal Christianity, 
I confess I never was fully acquainted with the true doc- 
trine contained in the single fact that God over all bles- 
sed for ever, was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world 
to himself, until with our good Hermit for our pilot, we 
had turned over the pages of the book of Revelations, and 
he made me understand why a peculiar blessing was 
pronounced on him who reads or hears the words of that 
blessed book, at its very opening on him who keeps its 
sayings in the end of the same ; and I beg, Hermit, you 
will now accept my acknowledgment, that I believe, by 
God's favor and grace, and your aid, and that blessed 
book which you have taught me to read, that blessing 
has come to me, for I believe in the words of John, that 
in the beginning was the word (Jesus Christ,) the word 
Jesus Christ was with almighty power (God,) that Jesus 
Christ was, and is almighty power or God Almighty, 
and therefore I now know myself to be a christian man, 
who before, only thought myself so, because 1 had been 
baptized, but was ever a doubting one, a mere skeptic ; 
nor do I find among men in general, more certain know- 
ledge than 1 had, no, not even in the ministry ; and 
why ? because our forms are all couched in terms so 
general as to render them obscure or ambiguous, and no 
attempts are ever made 10 define them in terms less ob- 
scure, or less ambiguous, If the eternal godhead of our 
Lord Jesus Christ were the unhesitating and clearly-ex- 
pressed faith in which we were baptized into his church, 
we should have no schismatics but of Satan's own chil- 
dren. I shall defer giving any opinions on ths confirma- 
tion, or baptism with the Holy Ghost or Spirit of our 
Lord, until ] have read to you a note I made from one of 
the Hermit's discourses last Sunday. I am sure you will 
excuse me, my worthy host, and I hope I may now truly 
say, my brother-in-tbe-Lord. even though I may not be 
quite so orthodox as brother Theophilus, as not to bear 
without humble observations on the wrong done, or fail- 
ings and faults by episcopal clergymen. It will save 
you the trouble, my friend, of repeating what you have 
once so well said. 



123 



NOTES OF THE HERMIT'S SERMON. 

Deut. xviii, 15-19. Matt, xvii, 1-8. Matt, xxviii, 19, 20. Mark, xvi, 
15-20. Acts xxx vii, 39. 

On the last Sunday, my friends, I ventured to give 
you a very slight sketch of the origin of baptism, as a 
christian rite or ceremony, by which we are received in- 
to Christ's family, as his own children. In that I told 
you, on the authority of history, that it was adopted by 
all people, even from the days of the flood, as a religious 
ceremony, with a double purpose and intent. 1st. To 
commemorate the fall of our first earthly parents, by 
which their souls became polluted by sin, and their 
bodies subject to defilements, and as water was, and is, 
usually the element by which natural defilements are 
washed from the natural body, so was it used in a mys- 
tical sense, as a figure or shadow of the Holy Spirit, by 
whose operations only, the soul or spirit of a man could 
be cleansed from the pollution contracted by our first 
parents, in the fall by disobedience. Thus it was the 
sign of repentance for that sin,, called original sin, or the 
sin of Adam and Eve, which entailed on all their iace, 
pollution and defilement, even from their generation un- 
to their death; and as all prayers in the first ages of the 
world, and even to the days of our blessed Saviour on 
earth, were acted out by some signification and figurative 
ceremony, so this ceremony of washing or baptism, was 
(1 have no doubt from the clear reason of the thing,) the 
mode of supplicating God Almighty to renew his Holy 
Spirit within the children of Adam, which Holy Spirit 
of God had quitted him, the instant he admitted an 
evil spirit, even Satan, to counsel and to guide him. 

2d. After the flood, the baptism or washing by water, 
was, in addition to its ancient use as a means of suppli- 
cating a renewal of the Holy Spirit, used in commemo- 
ration of the destruction of the old world, and salvation 
of the family of Noah, and in them, of us, their chil- 
dren, by water, and as a mode of acting out a supplica- 
tion or prayer, according to the most ancient, usage, that 
God Almighty would remember his gracious promise at 
that time, no more to destroy the world by water ; that 
in religious use it might thenceforth be consecrated only 
to man's salvation, as it had been in that most awful 
baptism to the ei^ht souls saved. 

In the law of Moses, baptism or washing was used re- 
11* 



126 

ligiously after every defilement of the flesh ; not only 
as? necessary to the health of the body, bat also in com- 
memoration of the pollution of the inner man by sin, 
and of its typical use as a means of salvation to purge 
or purify the soul. 

The heathens, in their religious use of baptism, were 
used to accompany its ceremony by a figure or emble- 
matical representation of the Ark ; and the same is al- 
luded to in the history of Moses, who was saved in an 
ark of bulrushes, and received his name therefrom. So 
also is the religious or sacramental use of water partic- 
ularly alluded to by Saint Paul, and applied figuratively 
to the passage of the Red Sea, wherein they are said to 
have been baptized, but certainly not immersed Pha- 
raoh indeed was immersed, but not saved thereby. And 
here again, as observed last Sunday, it was the means of 
salvation to God's elect, and destruction to the repro- 
bate Egyptians. Whence baptism w^s used always by 
the Israelites in the adoption of converts or proselytes 
into their tribes or families, to entitle them to become 
partakers of both the temporal and spiritual privileges 
and inheritance with the children of Jacob or Israel. 
Until so received by baptism, they were (if Gentiles,) 
considered unclean, and could not be received into the 
holy congregation until adopted by a family in Israel, 
in the very ceremony which purified them, with their 
wives, their sons and their daughters, even their little 
ones, (though just born,) who were entitled by their ties 
of nature to share their parents' privileges. 

As I have more than once or twice explained for your 
information, they were by the very act of baptism con- 
sidered by that deed (in remembrance of the destruction 
of the old world by water, and more recently of Pha- 
roah and his host by the same element, and the salva- 
tion of Noah and their fathers,) dead to all their former 
relations in the world, were no longer answerable for 
the deeds they may have done in the old body, whilst in 
slavery to sin and Satan, as all Gentiles were reputed to 
be ; and when they arose purified by the waters of bap- 
tism, they were said to have been born again, to have be- 
come new creatures, to have been regenerated — the old 
man was said to be dead in them, and they born to a 
life of righteousness ; and really so in the eye of the law, 
and spiritually so, if they were really and truly in the 
faith, and did believe the promises of God to Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, whose seed by faith and baptism they 



127 

were now become, and therefore the font used in bap- 
tism was, by the early christians, after the practice of 
the Jews, called the laver of regeneration, and the words 
regeneration, and baptism, and the new birth, were com- 
monly used as meaning precisely the same tiling. 

Unless, my friends, we were much more intimate with 
the writings of the Jews, you are not likely to have be- 
come acquainted with the literal history and figurative 
meaning of this institution of the ceremony of baptism, 
as it existed for ages before either John the Baptist or 
our Saviour were born into the world. By them it was 
no new institution, and therefore, as being known and 
understood by all men, we see why the ceremony was 
never particularly described in the scriptures, neither is 
the rite of circumcision itself, so that very many pious 
and good christians are really ignorant of the precise na- 
ture of the practice, and almost all of its true figurative 
meaning, which I will take some other occasion to ex- 
plain to you. Many presumptuous people, being remote 
from those who have continued these practices from the 
remotest times of their fathers, without interruption, 
have given license to their imagination, and substituted 
their own fancies for ancient practice. 

Some there are who reject outward ceremony alto- 
gether, and merely fancy themselves baptized in the 
Spirit, as those men who seem to walk so blamelessly in 
their worldly relations, the Quakers. 

Others there are, who attach all the saving property 
of baptism to immersion in an ocean of water, and to 
their own fancies as to the form and manner, of it. 

Others again believe that a little water sprinkled or 
poured on the head, in the manner of anointing, is quite 
sufficient to prove their willing obedience to our Lord's 
command to baptize all people, and that the operation of 
his Holy Spirit, is in no wise affected by the quantity of 
water, so long as water be actually used. The Quakers 
are certainly wrong, for they do not obey Christ's com- 
mand. Both the others may be right ; but the faith of 
the last, described in the sacramental and spiritual effect 
of baptism, does to me seem most unobjectionable on 
every scripture view, and most consistent with its his- 
tory. 

We are told that the Indians on this continent of Amer- 
ica, are Israelites, and many of their customs justify such 
a conclusion. But let us imagine that a sect were to 
startup among them, insisting on the performance of the 



128 

ancient rite of circumcision, as a sacramental observance, 
and that the true mod" of performing it, as taken from 
the evident meaning of the word in its literal significa- 
tion, and from the well-known practice of all their tribes, 
and thus should insist on actual scalping, either wholly 
or partially, who could prove them wrong from scripture ? 
Some of our sects, who fancy that scripture must strictly 
define every existing usage it speaks of, are not less ab- 
surd ; for we ought all to know that religion, all religion 
except perhaps the Mosaic, and that too was so in many- 
essential particulars, has been continued through suc- 
ceeding ages by tradition, by habits and customs. But 
because our Lord rebuked the Pharisees for falsifying 
scripture by their traditions, and we accuse the Ro- 
man church of doing the same thing, many mistaken peo- 
ple presume that all traditions must be false, or at least 
that they cannot be brought to the standard of truth. 
But surely such persons cannot have considered that 
Christianity itself was little other than tradition for near 
three hundred years of its best days, and almost through 
the times of the Roman church, was practically tradi- 
tional, and therefore too easily admitted corruptions. 

But to return to the institution of baptism as a chris- 
tian rite, and the very first ordinance whereby we can 
become entitled to the name. 

Academicus observed that there was also some mention 
made of Sherlock on the immortality of the soul, as hav- 
ing shown the natural philosophy of th^e relations of fa- 
ther and son in the God-head, in a familiar analogy easy 
to be understood, manifesting that relation as truly 
existing, and our relations as somewhat truly depending 
thereon,'which I did not note. But that book seems worth 
referring to, since Hermit thought it worth quoting to 
his hearers, and 1 confess I have a strong desire to hear 
his opinions on the origin and philosophical explanation 
of its meaning, as referring to the death, burial and 
resurrection, of which by some people and a very nume- 
rous class of christians, it is sometimes thought to be an 
emblematic representation. I regret much that we did 
not hear the first part of this little essay, and I w T ill con- 
fess, much as I am decidedly by reason opposed to lev- 
ity and inclined to imperturbable seriousness, 1 could 
hardly contain myself then, and have actually since 
(when I remember the ridiculous but apposite sarcasm 
and satire on the baptistical notion of there being no bap- 
tism without immersion, by the abuse of circumcision 



129 

into scalping, and have, I say) several times detected 
myself absolutely in a broad laugh, which as I could not 
approve, I never explained to any of you. It is however no 
subject for laugh, levity or joke, for it is most lamenta- 
ble to see sects formed on the definitions of words used 
eighteen hundred years ago, in a sense handed down to us 
by unbroken habits and customs, in a sense differing from 
their vain and presumptuous definitions. Yet these vain 
pretenders are followed by whole flocks of ignorant and 
foolish people, who pin their faith on such men, as pre- 
tending to have acquired more knowledge and religion by 
their wisdom, and learning, and prudence, than all the 
generations of their forefathers could obtain even by di- 
rect revelation. Our host's time I see is up, and as I 
have some further observations to offer, which may suffice 
for to-morrow's short evening, let us retire. All, good 
night. 



CONVERSATION TWELFTH. 

Jill being met before the log-fire as usual, and compliments 

over , 

Hermit said : My friend Rusticus, our friends were so 
warmed with their subject last ni<rht,as to leave us no time 
to say a word, and Academicus has promised us leisure 
enough to make a further inroad on this box of beauti- 
ful Havana cigars, and perhaps if Theophilus were to 
join us, it might set Academicus more at ease ; and since 
he is pleased to attribute to us, by God's grace, a con- 
version to a true and more definite comprehension of one 
doctrine of our faith which embraces every other, how- 
ever recondite and abstruse they may seem, namely, the 
undivided person of the God-head of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, in whom alone are comprised and manifested 
every character, office and attribute of the only one God, 
so I am in hopes we shall all be edified by his promised 
observations on the rite of confirmation, which he seems 
to have subjected to his inquiries of laie. 

Rusticus. I cannot say, my friends, but that I felt 
more appetite for the discussion of the weed of Havana, 
than I did to bear a part in the debate, in which I did 
not feel sufficient confidence in my knowledge on the 
subject to induce a desire to bear a part, which, however, 
must have something peculiarly interesting in it, since 
both Academicus and Thophy were much more an^ 



130 

imated than usual. I shall gladly continue a listener, 
and I hope a learner. 

Theophilus. And I will join you in a cigar, and lis- 
ten with pleasure to Kaddy's observations on confirm- 
ation. 

Academicus. 1 am not vain enough to fancy, my 
Friends, that you will reap much instruction from me on 
the subject, because I cannot presume to imagine myself 
sufficiently enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the gift of 
which is the subject in hand. A man cannot well pre- 
sume to have knowledge on a subject in which he has 
had no experience. I have never yet been confirmed ; 
therefore what can I know of it experimentally ? And 
yet I will be bold enough, in the language of our neigh- 
bors, to tell my experience. 

I was lately referring to, or rather reading over again, 
an interesting letter, some four or five years old, from my 
friend Nauticus. He was a religious man, of very cheer- 
ful habits, and seemed as little under the restraints of en- 
thusiasm, (unless it was in his profession,) or of Puritan- 
ism, as any man I ever knew. He is now retired within 
the bosom of his family, and seems only to think of qual- 
ifying himself and family for holding posts of honor and 
emolument in heaven. He writes thus : " My dear 
young friend Kaddy : You are just entering on the 
world's stage ; I am thinking of the necessary prepara- 
tions^for leaving it, with that sort of good report which 
shall insure to me a more important character or part to 
perform on the next stage on which we are destined to 
appear. For all this world is a stage, and the human 
race but actors. But the motus, the direction, the spirit 
and the real character of the personam is behind the 
scenes, invisible to the spectators. This is the first act of 
the play of life. Before the second commences, all the 
performers must be congregated behind the scenes, and 
prepare for their coining parts. I do not mean to fa- 
tigue myself or you by pursuing a stale analogy. You 
may remember that I always endeavored to impress on 
you not to embark in the career of wprldly ambition, be- 
cause in it the race is seldom won by the swift, nor the bat- 
tle by the strong ; i. e. merit even the most transcendent 
is no pledge of success in those public services of army, 
navy, or even of the church as now conducted. I told 
you that I had given sixty years to the navy, and when I 
retired from it, 1 found myself almost in utter ignorance 
of every thing relating to eternity, and yet I had taken 
part in every service contained in our prayer-book. Of 



131 

the confirmation I indeed was not so ignorant as Apollos 
and his brethren. I had heard of a Holy Ghost, found 
the name in various parts of our customary services, and 
his name is there invoked, and blessings pronounced in 
it; but of his nature or distinct character in the God- 
head, I knew nothing. I referred to every parson I 
knew, and they one and all told me that it was as clear 
as day-light, for that the Holy Ghost was the third per- 
son in the trinity, in which there are (they say) three per- 
sons perfectly distinct from each other, and they are all 
one God, three distinct beings, each capable of distinct 
action, in each all the powers of God vested, and each of 
them is God — yet not three Gods, but one God. 1 was 
referred by the said parsons to my prayer-book, to 
Athanasius' creed for all about it. This told me that each 
of these persons was incomprehensible, that is, not to be 
understood ; yet that there was not three (persons or 
things not to be understood) incomprehensibles, but one 
incomprehensible. This the parsons assured me was 
the great mystery of (Babylon, I supposed) the Trinity, 
which all men must believe, and none understand. Be- 
lieving our episcopal parsons must be right, and they 
unhesitatingly assured me there was good scripture 
proof of every syllable, they always left me to find this 
out, which probably 1 should never have been able to do 
satisfactorily, had I not fallen in with one William 
De Beauchamp, my brother officer, who put me on the 
right track. He told me that christians had a promise 
which made the great difference between them and our 
forefathers. This was the gift of the Holy Ghost, to 
guide them to the truth. How am I to get this noble 
gift ? said I. By earnest but humble prayer to our Lord, 
said he ; for unless we ask it, do you think we are likely 
to receive any extraordinary good gift ? If you do not 
seek, he continued, do you think you are likely to find ? 
But he concluded by saying, Have you been baptized 
with the Holy Ghost? I knew he did not usually joke 
on such subjects, so I answered, not that I know of. 
Pray, William, have you ? This 1 have always been told, 
by both parsons and laymen of learning, was a sort of 
prophetic promise, intended for some future dispensation 
or age. Explain this to me, William, have you been bap- 
tized with the HolyGhost ? 1 have, said he, sought it 
by the only ordinary means, by the ordinance appointed by 
our Lord's apostles, as practiced by Peter and John at 
Samaria, and by Paul at Ephesus ; by this earthly ordi- 



132 

nance called confirmation, I answer yes; I have been so 
baptized, and I faithfully believe that our Lord has there- 
with granted me the blessed gift in such fulness as is 
necessary for my guidance in my present station in life, 
and is ready and will grant me such further additions of 
this his grace as I will ask and seek, and as may seem 
good and right to his wisdom, in his overruling provi- 
dence, general and special. By his spirit of truth, 1 be- 
lieve he has taught me to know many things clearly, 
which before were mysterious to me, and are still so to 
many; and amongst others, that of Athanasius' creed, by 
which I hope 1 may have succeeded in communicating 
some light to you, and to him be all the praise and glory. 
Amen. Consider these things, my young friend, as the 
one thing needful " 

This letter has long lain in my desk, disregarded after 
its first hasty reading, and containing much other matter 
which then interested me much more, would, perhaps, 
have lain there long without further notice, had not our 
Hermit have yone over much of the same ground in such 
a way as to draw rny attention, and to bring this counsel 
of my friend Nauticus to my recollection. 

Hermit. 1 am very gJad to hear any thing of my old 
friend Nauticus, and rejoice to know that he took those 
tilings which I then said, so kindly and so rightly, for it 
is due to your own ingenuousness to inform you that the 
De Beauchamp he spuke of is no other than your host, the 
Hermit. That was my titular designation, and since ^ 
transferred from my person to this estate, now called 
Fairfield. 

Rusticus. Well, I declare, that it is a very odd coin- 
cidence ! I suppose I must not interrupt Academicus ; 
but this is curious enough. 

Theophtlus. It is remarkable, and might lead us 
backward to try to get more of Hermit's history, if we 
might have influence enough; for this 1 well know, that 
Rusticus would delight more in that than in these dry 
doctrinal details. Nor, 1 am sure, would Academicus 
and myself feel less pleasure, and from which, perhaps, 
we might draw as good moral lessons, as by these dis- 
courses. Nevertheless, I know our good host is now 
anxious as we are, to bring this subject before us to a 
close. 

Hermit. I cannot consent to interrupt Academicus, 
until he has informed us what are the fruits of his latter 
inquiries on the subject of confirmation ; and I have 



133 

little cause to do so, since he has been pleased to make 
me speak through other channels. And I should feel 
flattered that he found any of my transient observations 
worth noting. Proceed then, good Academicus. 

Academicus. I have taken more pains to satisfy my- 
self on this subject, because the Episcopal churches are 
thereon, I think, at issue with all other sects of chris- 
tians. I remembered something of the notice of Nauti- 
cus, but never have heard the word used, viz : baptizing 
with the holy spirit, in any part of the church services, 
or ordinances, unless in obscure and ambiguous terms. 
Since these conversations of ours at Fairfield, I have 
been awakened to the inquiry by Hermit's remarks on 
our total neglect of the authority and governing office of 
the Holy Ghost, in the ordinations of all who call them- 
selves Christ's ministers, of every known sect or denom- 
ination. If indeed, (said I,) the same holy spirit ruled 
in every church as in those of primitive times, how 
comes it that such a diversity of opinions, practices, and 
ordinances exist among them, who claim to be governed 
by the same holy spirit? Have any of these differing 
churches really received the holy ghost? and which are 
they, if any have ? And thus I continued to soliloquize : 
Have I myself received this holy ghost? The Episcopal 
parsons tell me I have ; that this took place at my bap- 
tism. I referred to that service, and I could not find any 
notice of any distinct rite or ordinance of a visible na- 
ture, where that gift was visibly given me ; but I find 
that it is assumed, because it is promised, (I suppose by 
Peter.) that if we are baptized in the name of Jesus 
Christ, we shall receive the holy ghost, which it is pre- 
sumed will then be done, whether invoked or not, 
whether specifically claimed or not, although not com- 
municated by the formal imposition of hands, or any 
other special and evident holy ceremony. It seems in 
the service at baptism, it is taken for granted, that by the 
act of baptizing with water, the holy spirit is then and 
there communicated also, for which we jrive thanks at 
the conclusion. But in the service for adults, the thanks 
are concluded by a prayer for the gift of the spirit of our 
Lord, but there is here no actual or formal transmission 
from the minister in the name of the Lord, to the bap- 
tized with water, of the holy ghost. I was baptized as 
an infant, therefore never yet have received a formal or 
ceremonial gift of this holy spirit. And whether it has 
pleased God, by his special grace, to give me any special 



134 

portion of his spirit to guide and to govern me, in virtue 
of my early baptism, 1 know not. But I recognize in 
myself no gifts, manifestly supernatural, nor any by 
which I can distinguish myself from an unbaptized man, 
or from an unregenerate christian. 

I then turned to'the confirmation service, and there 
also find room for some doubts. The bishop confirming, 
says in his first prayer, that the persons have already 
been regenerate by God's grace, by water and the holy 
ghost ; then he prays that they may be strengthened with 
the holy ghost the comforter, and daily to increase in 
them the gifts of grace, some of which are enumerated, 
and some in Paul's catalogue omitted. So far as it goes, 
this seems to me, who have no pretensions to extraordi- 
nary knowledge, a proper prayer, but does not seem to 
me to go far enough. 

Then follows the imposition of hands, and the special 
invocation, and prayer for them severally, for an increase 
of the holy spirit, more and more, &c. 

Thus neither in the ordinance of baptism, nor in con- 
firmation, is there any unequivocal gift of the holy 
ghost, by any overt act, or declared word of either bishop 
or priest or deacon, or other, by which the gift of the 
holy ghost is given, or in plain words, by which such 
gift of the holy ghost can be inferred to have been given, 
by any person, as having authority from the Lord so to 
communicate this most precious gift. 

If, indeed, the bishop or priest, or other, had himself 
received such a commission unequivocally from the Lord, 
why is the recipient left in any doubt ? If the bishop 
feels himself to be an acknowledged successor to the 
apostles by our Lord's own appointment, would he not 
use some positive form of words, such as the following? 
" Receive the gift of the holy ghost, in the name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
&c. &c. &c, by such tokens and manifest gifts as our 
Lord may please to bestow on them, to his own praise, 
honor and glory for ever and ever, Amen." This would 
leave no room for doubt or evasion; and there seems no 
reason to doubt, that, according to their faith it would be 
done as our Lord himself has so graciously promised ; 
and I cannot but observe, that even our good host some 
years ago, as De Beauchamp, did not answer himself the 
question he had before put to his comrade, Nauticus, so 
directly as could have been wished. You have heard 
that he modified his answer as if there were some obscuri- 



135 

ty or doubt hanging still on his own mind. This exam- 
ination of our ordinances of baptism and confirmation 
should rather have been explained by Theophilus, and 1 
fear I may subject myself to some severe remarks from 
him for venturing again on holy ground to call these or- 
dinances in question. I will, however, now venture to 
put the question to both Hermit and Theophilus. Have 
ye received the holy ghost ? 

Hermit. I am not anxious to offer any further obser- 
vations until I shall have heard what all of you shall say 
on the subject. Our friend Rusticus has yet had no 
room for a word. This question, however, is now fairly 
between Theophilus and Academicus, and neither Rus- 
ticus nor myself can yet interfere with it. We get on, 
however, rather slowly, for we have not, all of us to- 
gether, established one convert in the church and in the 
faith. Theophilus, answer the question of Academicus. 

Theophilus. My friend has again put me on the de- 
fensive, which 1 feel is not my vantage-ground. I will 
first answer for myself, so far as the question respects the 
rite of confirmation. At the proper age my father took 
care that I should be presented to our bishop, and I was 
confirmed. And if to be baptized and confirmed is to 
receive the holy ghost, why then I have so received it. 
But still my acute friend will say, there is something 
like shuffling and evasion in this modified answer : he 
will tell me that 1 ought to answer categorically, straight, 
yes or no. But this would leave my meaning subject to 
be misunderstood. If I answer yes, I may be interpreted 
to assert that I have received some of the supernatural 
endowments of the holy spirit, such as the speaking with 
tongues, and prophesying, which I have not received. 
If I answer no, I should deny my faith, for I believe that 
I have so received the holy ghost, as that he dwells in 
me, and subjects my inner man to his own rule and 
guidance, and that without such indwelling spirit, my 
inner man would not be subjected to any restraint in its 
natural disposition to corrupt and evil affections. I be- 
Reve that without this indwelling holy spirit, I could do 
no one good thing, and certainly nothing acceptable to our 
Lord. I feel and I know, that by this holy spirit, of which 
I believe myself a living temple, my evil propensities 
and passions are subjected to its restraints. But this 
spirit does only manifest itself by its fruits, by good 
works, which, without his secret influence, I know 1 
could not do ; but no otherwise is the Holy Ghost within 



136 

me, manifested to the world without me. These I utu 
derstand our church to call the ordinary gifts and graces 
of the Holy Ghost. My faith is, that I have received 
this gift of grace and his Holy Spirit in such measure as 
it hath pleased the Lord to see fit to bestow them, and 
this is communicated to me by the miraculous or super- 
natural divine agency of the power of our Lord, as much 
and as surely as the other more openly manifested gifts 
of the Spirit are, which are usually called the extraordi- 
nary gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking with new 
tongues, casting out devils, taking up serpents, and 
drinking any tiling deadly, without hurt, and healing the 
sick by laying on of hands ; to none of these extraordi- 
nary gifts have I attained. I have not attained to tliese, 
and yet I have full faith that our Lord Jesus Christ is the 
only begotten Son of God, that he is God, and I do be- 
lieve fully and unreservedly all the doctrines in our 
creeds, relative to the distinct offices of Father, Son and 
Holy Spirit; called commonly, persons, in the creed of 
Athanasius,as put into English, seemingly, as shown by 
Hermit heretofore, very incautiously ; for person in Eng- 
lish means a very different thing from personce, Latin, or 
prosopon, Greek, of which it is the translation ; for these 
decidedly mean, a mask, a visage, a part performed in a 
play, an office, a character, a mode of manifestation; 
so understanding the word person, that creed becomes 
no mystery, as shown to us so clearly by Hermit on 
Thursday week past, and which I have but adverted to, 
because by the letter of Nauticus, in which this creed is 
prominently remarked upon, it appears that our host has 
long been in the habit of endeavoring to reconcile old 
Athanasius with the world. 

Rusticus. We must not, worthy host, trespass on 
your time to-night. It is your preparation for the Sab- 
bath service. To-morrow I will endeavor to explain my 
notions on the initiatory ordinances of Christianity, rather 
in the way of a report to you, my good Hermit, what 
progress I may have made under your discipleship, than 
with the vain notion of offering to you any thing new.* 
But you have demanded it, and therefore, to-morrow I 
also will give my opinion, God willing. 

Hermit. 1 thank you sincerely for your considera- 
tion for my habits ; the subject of the great christian 
privilege, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, will, as you see, 
now you are fairly engaged in it, occupy us all, at least, 
for to-morrow ; and Academicus I see, has prepared much 



137 

more, on the difficulties which are to be encountered yet 
in this investigation. It is time, too, to hear our friend 
Rusticus, for he has really been the picture of patience. 
Good night, my friends ; may the blessing of God Al- 
mighty, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the Holy 
Ghost, be with us all, Amen. 
All. Amen. 



THIRTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Academicus. Hermit, in your simple discourses of 
this day, you have, in the few observations you made, 
given Theophilus and myself a lesson. You have shown 
us that by a simple reference to the texts where the gifts 
of the Holy Ghost are spoken of, we might have saved 
ourselves many words ; and surely, my friend Theophilus 
never stood on more slippery ground than that he as- 
sumed last night, nor was there ever a more tame at- 
tempt made at a description of the operation of the Holy 
Spirit of the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Ruler 
of Heaven and Earth. It is, indeed, the Holy Ghost 
who operates in Socinians and Unitarians, to bring forth 
the fruits of moral good works in which they challenge 
other christians to compare with them; this cannot be, 
or they are in open rebellion, for they will not acknowl- 
edge the fact of any extraordinary operations of any 
spirit, save only the natural spirit of man ; therefore this 
test, so far as regards the world external to a man's own 
self, is arbitrary and delusive. Oh no ! Receiving the 
Holy Ghost seems, by the scriptures you quoted, to mean 
something that cannot be misunderstood by christians ; 
at least, not by those who have received it. 

Rusticus. My friends. I am not anxious to interpose 
any of ray observations between you on this subjest, of 
which I know too little myself to deem any I can offer 
of importance to you, who are so much more learned ; 
but our host has laid his commands on me, and has, 
moreover, shown me, by what he said on the subject in 
church, how to go to work, sccundem artem, according to 
rule. Let us, then, read some of the texts he referred 
to. Matthew iii. 11 — John the Baptist says, " I indeed 
baptize you with water unto repentance : but he that 
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am 
not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with theHoly 



138 

Ghost, and with fire," &c. &c. Mark i. 8 — " He shall 
baptize \ ou with the Holy Ghost." Luke iii. 16, same 
as Matthew. John i. 33 — " The same is he which bap- 
tizeth with the Holy Ghost." Matthew xxviii. 19, 20 — 
" Go ye into all nations, teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost: and lo ! I am with you always, even 
unto the end of the world, Amen." Acts i. 5 — "For 
John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized 
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." Acts xix. 
2,6; ii. 38 — "And ye shall receive the Holy Ghost." 
Acts x. 44 — "And the Holy Ghost fell on all them 
which heard the word ;" 47, " for they heard them speak 
with tongues, and magnify God." Acts xix. 6 — " Then 
when Paul had laid his hands on them, and they spake 
with tongues and prophesied." Acts viii. 17 — " Then 
laid they their hands upon them, and they received the 
Holy Ghost." Here in these few texts is abundant author- 
ity to decide of whom the baptism with the Holy Ghost 
is, and namely, from our Lord himself. It was the gift, 
including every other good spiritual gift, which our Lord 
obtained from his Father, the power to dispense or to 
give to the children of men ; it was his own spirit, and 
the spirit of his Almighty Father. By this gift we can 
easily understand how we become one, perfectly one in 
our renewed nature, our new birth, by this baptism with 
the Holy Ghost ; for as he graciously took our nature on 
himself, he became one with us, in the flesh. Now by 
the baptism with his spirit, which is his divine nature, 
his spiritual and Godly nature, and as by a new and 
spiritual birth, we become one in nature ; in our new 
nature the new creature, one with him in body and soul, 
in the flesh and in the spirit ; and by him as the medi- 
um or mediator, we also become one with the Father in 
spirit and truth, John xvii. Thus, as it appears to me, 
it can hardly be called a mystery, for it seems to me 
quite natural, that as our Lord, who was divine, who 
was God, and a pure Spirit, took on himself our nature 
to become one with us therein, viz : in our human na- 
ture ; so by his grace he gives us, who are his chil- 
dren, his spirit, that we may become one with him in his 
divine and spiritual nature ; and he as our head, (of one 
human and divine nature imitated, in which we are 
members of his body, actuated in the new creature, by 
his one only spirit, even the Holy Ghost,) has in this our 



139 

new nature, achieved for us a conquest over sin and 
death; and if we hold fast the faith that must neces- 
sarily result from any sensible manifestation of the Holy 
Ghost within us, then is our salvation assured to us even 
now, and our final redemption has thus received our 
Lord's own seal ; thai it is as certain as that we now live 
in Christ, and that our future resurrection to everlasting 
glory with our Lord, is as sure as death is to every mor- 
tal. 1 may, perhaps, have used some reiteration, or a 
little tautology, in my anxiety to make myself clearly- 
understood, if 1 can, in this, which I should call the di- 
vine mechanism of Christianity, or christian metaphysics, 
in which I have used my best ability to demonstrate it as 
a great christian problem. If, therefore, I have at all 
succeeded, there cannot remain a doubt but that this bap- 
tism with the Holy Ghost is the most essential part of 
our inauguration into the church or body of Christ, with- 
out which, indeed, there can be no church at all, and 
without which no man can become a member of Christ's 
body ; for if we have not one and the same spirit, we 
cannot be members of any one body; for just imagine., 
if each of your legs and arms should be made subject to 
a spirit other than that which is in the head, could they 
really be considered as members of the same body as 
those members which are subject to the head? Oh no! 
Such limbs would be incumbrances to a body subjected 
to another head ; they must be cut off, that they fetter not 
the other members. Herein we may see a shadow of the 
moral lesson conveyed by our Lord, when he said, <; If 
thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it away, 
for it is better that you enter into the kingdom of 
God, wanting a limb, than that thou shouldest be 
condemned/' &c. &c. Considering the all-absorbing 
importance of this truth, we can hardly wonder that 
the Quakers, and many other enthusiasts, should have 
made so many mistakes about it, and that very 
great mistake of all mistakes, that our Lord, havingr ap- 
pointed the means by which he will give these gifts by 
human ordinances, will not demand from these enthusi- 
astic professors, who seek the gifts, that they shall come 
to him, by the method which he has been pleased to 
point out; but because he still reserves to himself the 
power to bestow these gifts, independently of those ordi- 
nances, and sometimes really does so, so they, by their 
fancied self-importance, assume that our Lord will give 
these great gifts to their prayers, without attending to 



140 

any other of his appointed ordinances. Nay more, they 
necessarily become fatalists or infidels, after a course of 
such errors, and consider prayer itself unnecessary ; for, 
say they, does not God know all our wants and necessi- 
ties better than we do ? Can we alter the course of uni- 
versal providence by prayer ? &c. I answer to both 
these questions, decidedly, yes. For he has himself ap- 
pointed certain modes of prayer, of worship, of praise, 
of thanksgiving, by which, if 1 may so say, he places 
the very laws of the creation and of his providence at 
the disposal of his children, members of Christ's body, 
and subject to Almighty power itself. The strongest thing 
in the world are the prayers of the righteous, of whom 
our Lord is head over all, all-blessed for ever. The 
heathens of old considered the gods subject to fate. Our 
Lord has subjected fate to faith. 

You must pardon me, my friends, for slipping into 
rhapsody. You have kept me tongue-tied for two eve- 
nings, but for fear of getting out of my depth, I will now 
return to my texts. 

We learn by them, that the dispensation of these gifts 
of the Holy Ghost was made subject to an apostolic or- 
dinance ; that the power of transfusing or transmitting 
the Holy Ghost was not given even to the seven first 
appointed deacons, and although Philip could work 
miracles, and cast out devils, yet at Samaria, he had not 
the power to give the Holy Ghost, much less was this 
power given to any in the congregation, in virtue of 
themselves having received it, for then Simon Magus 
needed not to purchase it. To him we know this power 
of giving was refused, although, as it would appear, he 
had received the Holy Ghost. But this Simon (history, 
not the bible, says,) became the first dissenter, set up a 
sect of his own in Rome, and usurping the right which 
Peter refused to sell or to give him, he pretended to the 
power of dispensing holy gifts, and thus became a pro- 
phetic type of the papacy itself, which, like him, will 
also be destroyed in the end. 

All presbyterian as I am, I cannot see, after all I have 
heard from Theophilus and Hermit, how we can do with- 
out some standard to know who has the power, humanly 
speaking, to dispense this great, the greatest of all gifts. 
By human succession, the bishops should have this pow- 
er ; and if they held their offices dependent on the Lord 
and his Holy Spirit only, and had faith as a grain of mus- 
tard seed, I have no doubt but the gifts of the Holy Spirit . 



141 

would l>e restored to the church, We appear to be in a 
dilemma. If this power is in the church at all, by its orig- 
inal charter and constitution, handed down to it by legiti- 
mate succession, not merely by tradition, but by contin- 
ued usage, it must be in the bishops, and if it is not 
there, where are we to look for it ? To what sect shall 
we turn to find the Holy Ghost? If he be not in the 
church, much less can he be in any separated members, 
who indeed pretend not to the power of giving or contin- 
uing such gifts: yet all the separatists make the greatest 
pretensions to the actual gifts ot the spirit, and own no 
dependence on any human ordinance, but only on the 
free grace of the Lord ; for receiving them, our Lord him- 
self will be their judge. But it appears to me much of a 
similar case to our lord Loveall, who being rich, and hav- 
ing many poor neighbors, he collected great store of 
bread ; and proclaimed to all, that whoever required bread, 
he would give it to them, even as much as they could use, 
if they would, between the hours of six o'clock and noon 
every day, walk up the great avenue to the front of his 
mansion, and knock three times with the knocker there 
suspended for the purpose ; then (said the proclamation) 
will my servants who know the sound, be ready to dis- 
tribute to all who so come, as much as they can carry 
away with them. Let us suppose some sturdy and im- 
pudent beggars, who, allured by the promise of the 
proclamation, and yet despising the mode pointed out 
by it, should boldly enter the lord's mansion by the 
back door, and intruding on his private apartments, 
should present themselves before him, and coolly say, 
My lord, we have heard of your great bounty, and are 
come to claim it from your lordship. We may fancy 
that he might answer, My friends, how did you hear of 
this ? Your servants, my lord, have proclaimed it every 
where. Did they proclaim at the same time how that 
my bounty was to be demanded, and by what regulation 
it was to be obtained ? Yes, they did; but we thought 
the directions they gave were only to assume conse- 
quence to themseives, who were mere distributors of 
your lordship's bounty, and the way by the front 
avenue is round about, and so we came a shorter way ; 
and besides, they say that your servants riot and waste 
and fatten themselves on your bounty, and do not dis- 
tribute to all as your lordship in the proclamation was 
pleased to promise ; besides, we do not like to have any- 
thing to do with livery servants. We are free raen ; and 



142 

prefer coming to you straight; for it is your bounty 
they distribute. It is not their own, and we know you 
are ever ready to give to the needy even with your own 
hands ; for we should feel degraded if we submitted to 
stoop to the pride of those fat, lazy, overfed servants of 
yours ; and besides, they wear a livery. We hate all li- 
veries, and all them that like such badges of slavery. 

The lord wxmld, I suppose, answer thus ; for he could 
not be unkind even to an enemy, much less to men pro- 
fessing friendship and respect. My friends, I am afraid 
you have not acquired my true character, nor the object 
of my bounty. You believe the proclamation as to the 
bounty ; why did you not believe it as to the way 
of entitling yourselves to it ? You charge my servants 
with not obeying my orders. Have you found this charge 
true as to yourselves? No, my lord, we did not like to 
have any thing to do with thpse men, when we could 
come to your lordship straight right away ; for we know 
that those wicked servants of yours have nothing of their 
own to give, and we would much rather take your boun- 
ty from your own hand. So then, those my servants 
have not disobeyed my orders in your particulars ? Oh 
no, we never tried them, but we have heard no good re- 
port of them. So then lord Loveall called his servants, 
and told them that those men did not understand his 
proclamation. Take them out, said he, " and put them 
forth by the way they should have come ; and when they 
come by the way appointed, let them partake of my 
bounty. But be ye careful, my servants, that ye merit 
not the ill i*eport which these men bring of you ; for I 
shall inquire into your conduct when you come for your 
wages." 

I will not pursue the analogy of this parable, if I may 
so call it. So then, really, I see now no way of rightly 
going to that heavenly mansion, but] by the long, 
straight avenue that leads to the frontdoor. Be baptized 
by a regularly authorized minister. Be confirmed by a 
bishop. By this way it is not denied that salvation may 
be had. By any other, it is doubtful. 

I doubt not but that our Hermit will show us some 
practicable method by which these various and conflict- 
ing opinions of men may^be reconciled, and how all good 
christians, at least, may become of one mind, one lip, one 
faith, one baptism, and unite heart, hand and voice, to 
serve the one only lord Loveall, even Jesus Christ. Amen. 

With regard to the delinquencies of the ministry, it 
may still be said, as in the days of our Lord, they sit in 



143 

Moses' seat Follow them not in evil, but do as they 
say in the name of the Lord. Even a wicked minister 
cannot nullify the appointed ordinances, and the Lord 
may suffer them for our own sins. But if they were the 
apostles themselves, or angels, would this generation re- 
ceive them ? If they be wrong, they are accountable to 
their own master. If they be right, those who neglect 
the ordinances established by the Lord himself assured- 
ly are in danger. One mark the church has of their 
truly apostolic origin, and true succession ; men speak ill 
of them, and revile them, and many would utterly de- 
stroy them, and think they did God a service. Should 
we not rather pray for them, that the Lord would vouch- 
safe to visit them by his grace and Holy Spirit ? And as 
he planted his one church amidst a wicked generation, 
will he not also purge and rectify it, if we seek him by 
prayer, and fasting, and sorrow for our own sins ? And if 
that church which our Lord has built on such a holy 
foundation, and with such goodly stones of his own 
choosing, and built upon his own plan, be found subject 
like our mortal bodies to decay, shall Calvin, Wesley, 
or Campbell, or any other less gifted men, imagine that 
by pulling the materials out of the old building, and with 
them erecting another on their own plan, that it will be 
more to our Lord's liking than his own ? that it will be 
faultless and immortal ? Would it not be more rational 
to try to repair the breaches in the old one ? It is true, 
indeed, that all these evils of perpetual division and 
schism in the Lord's body, the church, have perhaps been 
entailed on us by the Roman antichristian corruptions 
and usurpatians, of which our own church is not quite 
free. But we should think it an odd way of establishing 
the public and political weal of the state, if, because its 
laws and institutions are not quite perfect, and perhaps 
in some instances, corrupt and evil, we should think our- 
selves at liberty to break it up into smaller independent 
communities. Neither can we suppose that our Lord 
and King will be pleased to see his church, his body, 
split into a thousand independent members, like Solo- 
mon's household. 

Hermit. I was in hopes our friend Rusticus would 
have favored us with his views of the nature and mani- 
festations of those gifts of the Holy Spirit, by which we 
might certainly know it to be really the spirit of the 
Lord : try the spirits, whether they be in truth the spirit 
of the Lord. This, as it appears to me, can only be done 



144 

by the sword of "the spirit, the word of God in the holy 
scriptures ; on which subject 1 will endeavor to offer 
some observations ; but in the first place must thank you 
all for the pleasure and satisfaction I have received from 
your several remarks on the inauguration of a man into 
the mysteries of the christian faith ; and perhaps it will 
be as necessary to enable him to distinguish what is true 
faith, the faith of Abraham, on which I may say a few 
word also. I may then try to furnish a rule for knowing 
a true church from a false one ; and lastly, I shall pro- 
ceed to show how a true church may be congregated or 
associated on practical principles, and subjected to our 
Lord and his Holy Spirit, in which perhaps I may offer 
some suggestions by which all who profess and call them- 
selves christians, may be brought under one rule of gov- 
ernment. I should like also to provoke you to furnish 
me with some notions on extempore prayer, too often 7 
perhaps, assumed as a sure sign of its being the dictate 
of the Holy Spirit. On these several subjects, I hope I 
shall, as usual, have the advantage of your remarks; many 
of them indeed have already fallen under our notice, in 
one shape or another, but in too loose and desultory a 
way to make use of for practical application. This course 
which I have marked out will perhaps furnish us sub- 
ject matter ; and in your leisure moments, T wish you 
w 7 ould turn your attention to some heresies which are no- 
ticed in scripture — as the ways of Korah, the errors of 
Balaam, of the Nicolaitans, and of Simon Magus in par- 
ticular ; of the errors of the Gnostics, and the Nicolaitans. 
Perhaps you, Academicus, will glance over Thelyphora. 
You will find it in my library. And Theophilus I think 
will do well to arm himself for the defence of the Oxford 
Tracts, or to take a fair view of their errors, for which 
ancient Christianity may, perhaps, furnish the antidote. 
Academicus. 1 am indeed very thankful that my pa- 
rents decided for me in my infancy, and gave me a title 
to consider myself a christian, before 1 could be left to 
my own judgment; for had I been left to this day, I 
should have been at a loss how to decide as to the right 
mode of dedicating myself to Christianity amidst so many 
conflicting opinions ; and as to taking our measure of 
any mans having the Holy Spirit, that is, whether he 
has been truly converted to our Lord by the apparent 
success of his ministry, by works of which we can have 
no means of estimating the value, this is too uncertain a 
rule. 1 confess I agree with Rusticus, that if we find a 



145 

church built after the seeming model in scripture, found- 
ed by the apostles themselves, continued from their time 
by unquestionable human institutions, professing and de- 
nying not the same faith they taught, I see not what 
more the individual can want. Thus 1 have been bap- 
tized in the church of my fathers. So far I am all right. 
I have been instructed in the catechism, and the scrip- 
tures have been put into my hands. I am told that 1 have 
been born again, that I have the Holy Ghost. But I feel 
none of those sensible signs of his presence which are 
noted in the texts mentioning them, and among my 
friends, even Hermit and Theophilus, and the clergy of 
my acquaintance, 1 see no visible signs manifested of 
the presence of the same spirit. What then am I to in- 
fer ? Shall I say that none of these have the Holy Spir- 
it ? I can say no such thing. But this I can say truly ; 
they nor you, my friends, do claim the powers this Spirit 
has promised when present ; therefore you do not show 
by your works, incontestibly, that ke is present w r ithyou. 
So in myself, I have never presumed to think that I had 
in any extraordinary sense, different from the mass of 
christians I meet, any sensible indications of the Holy 
Spirit's peculiar presence. I now perceive by what I 
have heard here, that I have never sought this gift by the 
only legitimate way of earthly (so to say) transmission. 
I have never been confirmed, and whatever may be the 
defects of that ordinance in any one church, yet it is ac- 
knowledged that so far as the ordinance itself goes, it 
means either to give for the first time, or to renew that 
given already in baptism, that spirit of our Lord which 
we seek ; and any man who wilfully or presumptuous- 
ly neglects that ordinance, has no pretensions to it. Our 
Lord may indeed give us that spirit otherwise, but it is 
in this way that he has promised it; (at least I think I 
learn so here ;) therefore I am resolved, for my part, to 
lay my claim for this most precious gift by this ordi- 
nance, as soon as possible, by episcopal confirmation. 

I see, too, why I cannot turn to the Roman church, 
because she has sealed her apostacy in the act. of the 
Council of Trent, by which she has set up another doc- 
trine than that taught by our Lord and his apostles. So 
can I not be of her communion, without endangering my 
salvation ; because I cannot obey the decree of the pope 
and the Council of Trent, and obey the scriptures, also. 
Had I been received into the Roman church in igno- 
rance of her errors, I should have felt myself bound to 
13 



146 

renounce her errors, but not to renounce the promises re- 
ceived through her ordinances, but in so far as I might 
justly defer to opinions on which I had more confidence 
than on my own. Thus I now see that Theophilus has 
had very frequently the best of the argument, when I 
thought he was in error. The holy ordinances of the 
apostles established in the flesh, as sigus, or testimonies, 
or what we will, of spiritual operations, may be trans- 
mitted in the flesh, by succession, without detracting 
from their spiritual efficacy to the recipient, provided he, 
not they, have the true faith, which alone can render 
them truly efficacious. There is much yet which might 
and does require the discrimination of saving faith in all 
these ordinances ; tor in themselves they can do nothing 
for us, but by the grace of God, being acquiesced in on 
our part, by a true and lively faith, they may, and 
doubtless will be made efficacious by the same 
grace. Thus I believe that a christian man or woman, 
or youth, seeking th&gift of the Holy Ghost through him, 
who by succession from the apostles in the flesh, that is, 
by the ordinance, or usage acknowledged among chris- 
tians, as the proper mode of inheriting on earth the right 
to bestow this gift, will, if the recipient himself have true 
faith in our Lord's promises, assure him truly that he 
will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, whether the 
bishop have those gifts himself or no, which he pretends 
to bestow by the right of office. 

But if I know one such bishop, who by manifest en- 
dowment had the Holy Spirit, who spake by tongues, 
and did other works to the evident honor of our Lord, 
miraculously, undoubtedly I should prefer a reference to 
him for the holy spiritual gifts, than to one who had the 
sign in the flesh or by inheritance only, without the 
apostolical signs following. The church of England, 
therefore, seems to me to contain all that is essential to 
the right of receiving a christian man, and the entire 
spiritual endowment of such an one, within the pale of 
the christian church and Christ's own family on earth, 
as to all the earthly mechanism necessary to associate him 
in that family, with full right thereby to claim from our 
loving Father and Lord, all the promises of an eternal 
inheritance which he has so graciously promised to all 
his children so adopted. 1 have been more particular in 
thus reading the recantation of my philosophical skep- 
ticism, to remove from Hermit the necessity on my ac- 
count, of following into detail all the rules for a young 



147 

christian, by which to choose his church ; and I may add 
a word or two for the same reason as to the other alter- 
natives which appear to present themselves, assuming 
the points of faith decided, as they have been, or seem to 
be, as to all their essentials, in the course of our conver- 
sations. 1. Suppose I were to turn to the Lutherans. 
The ministerial succession with them seems broken, and 
the link of human testimony is thereby broken as to their 
right to give the Holy Ghost, if indeed the Lutheran 
bishop had miraculous powers to testify to the power he 
assumed, then his authority would be unquestionable, 
whether he stood in the order of apostolic succession or 
not, but failing in miraculous powers himself, no man 
can have any such authority unless he can show it to be 
derived by him from the apostles. So if I turn to the 
Calvinists, all ends upwards at Calvin, and all in futurity 
may be said to begin with Calvin ; and so with all other 
sects, all on the subject of spiritual gifts, seems usurpa- 
tion and confusion. There is a pretty analogy in the his- 
tory of Freemasons. Their origin is buried in obscurity, 
but the modern associations or the revival arose in Eng- 
land and thence spread with more or less success overall 
the world. At length a species of new light sprang up 
among them, and a new sect, calling itself Ancient Ma- 
sons arose, which have departed much from the simplicity 
of their parent stock, so far as history enables us to trace 
them. These ancients are said to have loaded their as- 
sociations with many rites and ceremonies, not required 
by their elder brethren ; nevertheless, (hey do contain all 
that the primitive associations require for admission and 
fraternity. But the love of change thus indulged with 
some success in one instance, has led the masons, like 
the christians, into interminable sects. Thus divided, 
they have fallen, and although still known, and in Eng- 
land much honored, their reputation has seen its best 
days, as indeed it seems fit it should, for as a moral asso- 
ciation it does not seem based on pure religion, at least, 
not on pure Christianity, which alone can give any sys- 
tem of morals eternal life, or universality. 

For my part, I see not how a baptist of any of the 
forty sects of that denomination, whilst he assumes the 
name of baptist, can be a catholic christian. Nor do I 
see, how a Wesleyan or Whitfieldite, Presbyterian, 
Jumper, Mumper, Irvinite or Mormon, can be a catholic 
christian. Yet I feel that I could freely commune with 
any of these who profess their faith in the triune God- 



148 

head of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who do not impose 
any human or unscriptural dogmas on their followers as 
things to be believed or practiced as necessary to salva- 
tion. But I can never lend even seeming indulgence to 
any sect professing itself christian, which attaches to our 
Lord the notion of his being a mere creature, and not 
also the mighty Pantocrator, the Almighty Creator him- 
self, although he was once graciously pleased to mani- 
fest himself to, and for us, in a more humble character, 
viz : the form of a man, and this blessing, by God's 
grace, and your'instructive conversations, with the re- 
searches we have made in the book called revelations, I 
am indebted to you, Mr. Hermit; for, under the blessing 
of our Lord's Holy Spirit as there promised, and as you 
and my friend Theophilus are christians of the Episcopal 
church of England, I most willingly cast my lot in with 
yours, and now believe, that although there may be many 
negligent, nay, wicked persons in it, and that it stands 
much in need of reformation in its discipline, yet that 
the devout christian may therein assure himself of all the 
blessings promised by our Lord, of which, as a Roman 
papist, or sectarian of any denomination, I could not so 
easily assure myself; for these also, I fear, have their 
negligent, nay wicked pastors, to which they superadd 
presumption, for they daringly usurp the office. 1 have 
made this confession to save the time of our friend Her- 
mit, as far as his present company are concerned, and I 
must think from what has passed, that Rusticus is much 
of the same mind. 

It is however no less incumbent on us to pursue our 
inquiry into the subjects in which we may hold errone- 
ous opinions still, and I doubt not but that the Spirit of 
the Lord, even the Holy Ghost, will also assist us here- 
in, particularly I shall, as directed by Hermit, make some 
researches on the Balaamites and Nicolaitans, and peruse 
Thelypthora with care, and I must conclude this con- 
fession of my faith, which Hermit has taught me to be 
so bold in, by God's grace, by still confessing that I am 
yet at great loss how to decide on those gifts of the Holy 
Spirit which ought still to be manifested in a true church, 
and to which I have understood some sects do lay posi- 
tive claim, for in truth I must believe that wherever these 
may be truly manifested, the Spirit of truth in myself, 
would urge me to associate specially. Hermit has prom- 
ed to speak to this point — the trial of the Spirits : let us 
therefore hear him. 



149 

Hermit. My dear Academicus, you have relieved 
me of a great weight and burden ; your convictions are 
just, and may assure you that whether confirmed or not, 
according to Episcopal form, the grace of God's Holy 
Spirit is not withholden from you. The first Gen- 
tile converts had the gifts without the formal imposition 
of hands, and our Lord bestows the same where he will, 
but you are quite right, he has established an ordinance; 
our faith demands obedience. Our Lord himself, even 
in his baptism, established the sure rule, " Thus it be- 
hooves us to fulfil all rig-hteousness." Both you and Rus- 
ticus will, T trust, seek the imposition of Episcopal hands, 
and I have a perfect assurance that he who does so in 
true faith, and not superstitiously depending on the mere 
form as the only thing necessary, will not fail to derive 
comfort and great benefit to his soul thereby, — even the 
gift of the Holy Ghost. And as Haman was made to 
clothe Mordecai in royal attire, and himself proclaim be- 
fore him through all the city, " thus be it done to the 
man whom the king delighteth to honor; " so were sa- 
tan himself in the bishop, if it be possible to imagine 
such a thing, yet in the hands of our God, even he-, sa- 
tan, the great antitype of Haman, shall be made to at- 
tire in the royal robes of our Lord's own righteousness 
ft the man whom the king delighteth to honor." Now, 
although Rusticus has not so openly avowed himself, 
yet he has shown himself not a whit behind Academicus 
in conviction, and how so well can we close the Sabbath 
as with the noble confession that our friends have made ? 
Let us ever praise God our Lord, for all his gracious bles- 
sings. 

All. Amen. 

Hermit. My friends, to-morrow evening I will en- 
deavor to interest you all on the trial of the Spirits, and 
you, my friend Theophilus, will prepare yourself to de- 
fend your Oxford divines in such a trial. May the peace 
of God by with us ! 

All. Amen. 



FOURTEENTH CONVERSATION. 

Hermit. Perhaps, my friends, the greatest difficulty 
which occurs to a man, and particularly to men engaged 
almost incessantly in secular affairs, as in America, per- 
haps, throughout, but most assuredly in these parts of it, 
13* 



150 

in the choice of a religious sect to which he will associ- 
ate himself, is that every man lays claim to be governed 
by his own judgment, and to show that he is free to 
choose a religion for himself, he presumes to sit in judg- 
ment on the claims to preference in every sect, and he 
brings all to the standard, not of the bible, but of his 
own prejudices and feelings, and sets up the idol of his 
own heart, his own " I think" as his standard of truth, 
and he claims for himself this right, without in the least 
questioning the same privilege assumed by his neighbor, 
his wife, and even his own children. This is indeed 
true liberty of conscience, but it must have a limit some- 
where. 

It does not seem much unlike the liberty which satan 
would have established in Heaven, and in which he has 
too well succeeded in hell and on earth, — the freedom 
of individual independence, maintained by interminable 
division and subdivision ; whereas the object of the true 
christian, which he has learnt from our Lord's example 
and precepts, is union. He is taught that there is one 
God only, whom no man can find out or know by him- 
self, and naturally he has no desire to know him. But 
he may be led to this knowledge by education or habits 
imposed on him by parental or social authority, or he 
may know this only one God by special revelation, that 
is, by spiritual conversion, or the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
There is but one truth, or rather truth is single, and 
must also be acquired similarly ; but naturally man hates 
the truth. Now the process of attaining to the knowl- 
edge of God and the truth by the traditional course of 
education and habits, or ordinances, imposes a task on 
every individual, and obliges him to some sort of as- 
sociation and union, and from the restraints of which, 
his independence, jealous of all restraints, on body or 
mind, render him naturally averse. But the other way 
of attaining to all knowledge, to all saving knowledge, 
all truth, is so flattering to man's self-importance, seems 
so easy, and is withal so much more complete and per- 
fect, that we cannot wonder all men should be converts 
to this easy way to heaven ; and the devil himself assures 
them it is all right, and boldly defies all men to prove it 
wrong ; and well he may in these days, when the church 
has lost her faith, and has relinquished her dominion 
over evil spirits, with which she always was, and is still 
endowed, if she dare to assume it. All men now seek 
spiritual conversion, the supernatural assurance of for- 



• 151 

giveness of sins, and some sensible spiritual operations 
which shall assure them of some extraordinary influence, 
which they attribute to the Holy Ghost ; they become 
their own witnesses, tell their own experiences, to some 
self-erected judges, elders, deacons, or ministers, in some 
meeting or sect, and there thus acknowledge conversion 
is sealed by baptism or fellowship in that sect. They be- 
come of the elect, and their salvation is sure as that of 
the Pharisees of old. All these men become fatalists — 
believe all learned meditation on the scriptures super- 
fluous, and religious education on principles of even their 
own divinely inspired knowledge to be useless, if not 
dangerous to youth. For, say they, God himself will 
call such a one when he pleases, if he be one of the 
elect, and if not, it will do him no good. Their youth 
are literally kept quite empty of all religious knowledge 
or practice, to wait for the call of the Spirit. 

This sort of conversion, called regeneration, the new 
birth, the new creature, is the peculiar feature of me- 
thodism ; but although not very consistent otherwise, 
they fall not professedly into the depths of fatalism, 
like those sects who adopt the denomination and doc- 
trines of Calvin. 

Nothing can be of more importance in a religious point 
of view, than the trial of these Spirits. Our church 
considers the whole practice as superstitious delusion, or 
presumptuous enthusiasm or extravagance, and many 
parties are suspected even of satanic possessions. Bring 
therefore, my friends, your best and coolest reason and 
judgment to the trial, and may the Holy Spirit of our 
God and Lord Jesus Christ enable us rightly to discrim- 
inate and to separate the precious from the vile. 

For my own part, I will confess that I have on no 
point of religion felt so much difficulty in coming to a 
decided judgment as on this, the operations of the Holy 
Spirit, or of some Spirit, assumed by the parties them- 
selves to be the Holy Ghost ; and what man dare hastily 
hazard his own judgment, that it is not so ? the sin 
against the Holy Ghost, (for which there can be no re- 
pentance or pardon) stands in awful array against him, 
if he should judge that to be an evil spirit, which is the 
Holy Spirit, or if indeed he should not acknowledge the 
operations of the Holy Ghost to be the work of the 
Lord, when manifested with sufficient testimony. How 
careful should we be not to reject fair testimony of the 



152 x 

presence of the Lord in Spirit, whenever any one pre- 
sumes or assumes to speak in his name. 

It seems to me that herein our church, and every 
church and sect, has very materially failed ; they have 
assumed, that our Lord has closed the ways of commu- 
nication between heaven and earth, by the old ways of 
visions, voice, dreams, angelic messages, &c. &c, and 
therefore all pretensions to have received direct commu- 
nications from our Lord by his Holy Ghost, are to be 
judged and treated as delusions, as the dreams of enthu- 
siasm, or even as satanic possessions ; and the ground 
assumed, for the most part, to justify such conduct, is 
that the canon of scripture is complete, and therefore 
there is no occasion for further revelations ; therefore, 
say they, God will give no more. 

It is a lamentable fact, that this mode of reasoning is 
universal, or nearly so, among the persons, who affect to 
be most learned and knowing on religious subjects. But 
the heart of the natural man revolts against this maxim 
of human wisdom, and acknowledges in spite of his 
learned prejudices, or prejudices of learning, that there 
is an unseen, but not unfelt link of union and commu- 
nion between the spiritual and the natural world, which 
may at any time be manifested to the creature. Hence 
man is naturally prone to superstition, and when not 
well grounded in religion and the right use of reason, is 
liable to fall into gross absurdities ; hence among the an- 
cients, auguries, visions, dreams, fancies, &c, and among 
the vulgar, dreams, illusive fancies, visions, stories of 
ghosts, &c. It is falsely and fatally assumed by the 
wisdom of the world, that every pretension to divine 
communication by any of these ways, is superstition, 
whereas superstition is apt to fancy every dream, and 
extraordinary human event, and every flight of imagi- 
nation, to contain divine communications. We have, I 
believe, said this before, but it is necessary to us now 
that we are about to try the Spirits. First, I must say a 
word on the mode of admission to baptism among many 
of the sects around us. They are made to tell their ex- 
periences, and to declare that they have experienced re- 
ligion before the self-appointed ministers and elders of 
the sect or meeting ; they declare themselves to have 
been convinced of the sinfulness of their past lives, to 
have been overwhelmed with sorrow and grief for them, 
have been in horror and despair, they have prayed, and 
have felt all joy, peace, gladness, and are thereby assured 
that God has forgiven them their sins. It is concluded 



153 

then, that in such the heart is changed, the new birth has 
taken place, the Holy Ghost has visited Ihem, they are 
baptized, taken into fellowship in the sect, and become 
truly of the elect, who can sin no more. 

Another's experience is, that when in utter prostration 
under conviction of sin, and praying for forgiveness or 
otherwise, as the case may be, on a sudden, he says, ex- 
actly at midnight (or some other solemn hour, but twelve 
o'clock at night is generally preferred,) a voice assured 
him " Thy sins are forgiven thee." This, I understand 
to be the case with those who affect to be pastors and 
most pious. 

These people's worship consists in informal prayer- 
meetings, at which they tell these experiences, and pray 
in such form as the Spirit may then dictate ; they, for 
the most part, are ignorant and uneducated ; few can 
read, fewer still write, they do not study scriptures, but 
learn some common phrases from each other, and quote 
them freely in defence of their peculiarities, and I am 
assured that scarcely one among them but can harangue 
and pray by the Spirit, in a most extraordinary way, and 
make very long prayers too. The Lord's prayer is not 
however given them, (they say,) and they affect only to 
repeat words given by the Spirit, and who shall presume 
hastily to decide, that this is not the Holy Spirit ? They 
baptize adults by immersion, in the name of the Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, and many of them lead lives 
blameless, according to a scale of morals they have mark- 
ed out for themselves ; and many fall away again into 
folly and wickedness ; they keep no Sabbaths, attach 
themselves to no church in particular, and generally are 
peculiarly idle and negligent of social duties. The 
spiritual exercises of telling experiences and praying in 
the Spirit, is their only mode of religious worship. How, 
my friends, shall we try these Spirits ? are they good, or 
are they evil ? 

Theophilus. In the course of our conclusions from 
former conversations, we seen to have arrived at the fol- 
lowing, which may as well be laid aside, as determin- 
ed by our judgment at least. 

1st. The Holy Spirit's influence is not acknowledged 
by the church of Rome as the governing principle. The 
power of the Holy Ghost has, in that church, been 
usurped by the Pope, because no interpretation of scrip- 
ture is permitted to be received as a rule of faith, or as a 
guide of conduct by any papist, but such as is approved 
by the Pope, because the Pope being a fallible mortal 



154 

man, assumes himself to -be infallible, which is proved 
not lo be true by all history and experience, and because 
he assumes himself to be the spiritual head of the uni- 
versal church, which is direct treason against our Lord, 
because he presumes also to invade the powers and au- 
thority of our Lord, by judging the quick and the dead, 
and by himself and ministers, awarding rewards, pains, 
punishments, &c, both in time and in eternity, either by 
his own arbitrary will, caprice, or worldly interest. He 
has put the kingdom of heaven to sale, and of that sal- 
vation which our Lord has proclaimed without money 
and without price, he makes a source of Revenue. And 
lastly, the Trentine confession of faith, is a seal of the 
apostacy of the Roman church, which leaves it without 
visible hopes of recovery. We may therefore presume 
that no works of the papists, of any papist, as papists, 
are of the Holy Spirit, except as he may please to exert 
his power in overruling providence, as he does amongst 
Pagans and Mahometans. We may then decide direct- 
ly, that no papist can have the Spirit of our Lord, be- 
cause the papacy is anti-christian decidedly, whether the 
Pope be the anti-christ or no. 

2nd. The Holy Spirit may be manifested in the 
Greek church, in many of its branches, I believe, be- 
cause although they have many superstitions and absur- 
dities, yet they are not avowedly anti-christian ; they may 
have trespassed on, but 1 do not know that they have in- 
vaded our Lord's authority, by the open usurpation of 
his powers. Their priesthood however are not ordained 
by the express and visible authority of our Lord, there- 
fore the Holy Spirit's extraordinary gifts may not there 
be sought. The ordinary gifts of grace, so far as hu- 
man endowments, they may have, but [ think we decid- 
ed that they have no superhuman gifts beyond those 
which are common to all christians — notwithstanding 
they have the apostolical succession perfect as a fleshly 
ordinance. 

3d. And they may have the Holy Spirit as manifest- 
ed by what is called grace, the ordinary works of grace, 
as distinguished from the super-human, of which we 
may recollect some particular definitions, as where(God,) 
Almighty Power, says to Moses, " 1 AM the God of Abra- 
ham, Isaac, and Jacob." " 1 appeared to Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacoo," (and did then appear to Moses,) " by my 
name" (God) " Almighty Power, did I make myself 
known to them, but by name Jehovah, I AM the eter- 



155 

nal, did T not then declare myself." These appearances 
were supernatural and unusual. But he certainly was 
as much the God of their children a3 of them ; but these 
their children, had no knowledge, or it may be said, no 
personal acquaintance with him, as their fathers had ; 
but for more than two hundred years in Egypt, were left 
to the traditions of their fathers, and the ordinary grace 
of the Holy Spirit, Almighty Power, (or God) was how- 
ever then about to appear to, and dwell among their chil- 
dren visibly, and then revealed himself by the name Je- 
hovah, Yeowa, Yow, Yah,-Io, and his visible presence did 
actually dwell, or rest among them about nine hundred 
years, and in that time could always have been appealed 
to, as to a living oracle, and was so, not only immediately 
but mediately, by solemn and formal appeal, as David 
through Abiathar, or when clad in the ephod, and for 
these purposes, and the practice of Daniel, we may in- 
fer that they were used then to look towards his visible 
dwelling-place, as the Jews do now, I believe, look to- 
wards Jerusalem. I have been perhaps a little prosy on the 
subject of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, because since our 
conversations commenced the peculiar turn of our host's 
observations, have led me to view the subject in quite a 
new light. In short, I had never examined the subject 
critically. But it is quite clear on reflection, that the 
grace of God had not at any time deserted any part of 
the world, nor any nation or tribe of men. Something 
that might be called religion or virtue, might be distin- 
guished among all; but God Almighty was pleased to 
dwell, visibly, and to render himself sensibly approach- 
able at Jerusalem. So among every class of christians, 
there exists some religion, for which men have set up a 
standard of their own invention, or of their own peculiar 
mode of interpvetating scripture, by whichto measure reli- 
gion and morals. These works of grace, as they are called 
in others, can have no infallible standard as to their di- 
vine origin in us, nor any proof of his special indwelling 
in us, available to others. But the gifts of the Holy 
Ghost spoken of in the New, and indeed in the Old Tes- 
taments, were evident and notorious to others besides 
the gifted persons, and the promise is, Mark xvi, 17, that 
it shall be so, and 1 think, Mr. Hermit, I so understand 
you ; you question not that the grace spoken of some- 
times, is a gift of the Holy Ghost, as in the history of 
our Lord, it is written, " He grew in favor with God 
and man," that is, in the gifts of divine grace ; but sure- 



. 156 

ly this wag very different from the gifts of the Holy 
Ghost which descended on our Lord at his baptism by 
John, in Jordan. 

Of the occult gifts of the Holy Ghost, which persons 
may assume their right to infer as existing in themselves ; 
of these, I say, others than themselves can have no proof, 
no testimony : for example, that he, the Holy Ghost, has 
authorized any man to say that he has been chosen by 
him (the Holy Ghost) to declare that he has his express 
authority or call to an office in the ministry of tjie gos- 
pel. Of this, Mr. Hermit has "proved to us incontestibly, 
no sure testimony can be given to others than the person 
who says he has the witness in himself. 1 cannot know 
whether he may notleil an untruth, or whether he may 
not be under a delusion. A man's own convictions may 
serve as sufficient testimony to assure himself, and for 
his own guidance ; but when he assumes this holy au- 
thority to give his teaching and guidance to others, as 
based on authority he has derived from the Holy Al- 
mighty Spirit, the persons to whom he is sent must have 
some external and sensible assurance of his holy mission. 
And herein I think the ministry of all sects at present in 
Christendom have failed, and do continue to fail, to au- 
thenticate their divine commission ; and when they pre- 
tend to the discernment of spirits, by the mere relation 
of the experiences, as infallible judges, this I must think 
is presumption, amounting to usurpation of the authority 
of our Lord. Nor can (hey justify their systems by any 
thing like consistency. 

The ordinary works of grace by the occult influence 
of the Holy Ghost may exist in all people, and must be 
assumed for all christians who have sought the Holy 
Ghost, as directed by the ordinances of our Lord and his 
apostles. But all those gifts which are claimed as extra- 
ordinary, their truth cannot be established without ordi- 
nary and sensible testimony. I must say that I am quite 
decided that none of those pretensions to a peculiar per- 
sonal visitation by the Holy Ghost, which men lay claim 
to by telling their common experiences before men falli- 
ble as themselves, — none of them can be depended on ; 
they lead to many fatal delusions ; generally result in 
much error, and not unfrequently in much wickedness. 

3d. I have endeavored, Mr. Hermit, to divest myself 
of orthodox prejudice, and to be as liberal as I can ; but 
in sober truth, I cannot see on what ground any man, or 
any set of men, can presume to introduce members into 



157 

the church of Christ our Lord, without a special call to 
do so that shall be manifested sensibly, at least to the 
persons' satisfaction who are the parties to be initiated, 
and also to the satisfaction of that church into which the 
newly initiated are to be received. For example to illus- 
trate the case, let us follow up the analogy of Freema- 
sons. In that society there are certain officers, by a 
fleshly ordinance and succession, very similar to the ini- 
tiatory rites of Christianity, and nono but those who are 
regularly ordained to the office by the leaders of the 
lodge, who have been chosen in succession from times 
beyond record, even to the early kings of Jerusalem, at 
any rate, the knowledge of the first founders is lost in 
the darkness of remote ages ; yet no body in masons' 
lodges, viz., no Freemasons doubt their authority so de- 
rived, which is complete analogy of apostolic succession. 
Nor would any member of any lodge whatever, presume 
to initiate a person into the mysteries until authorized to 
do so by their lodge, through their head master present. 
They rise in their society or lodge through similar ordi- 
nances, all appointed by the lodge, through its presiding 
chief, and learn in a manner regularly subordinated to 
ordinances, rites and ceremonies, all the mysteries of 
their craft, which when obtained, give them access to 
any and all the lodges in the world ; and thus Freema- 
sonry, like Christianity, is one body only. 

This, Mr. Hermit, I have understood to be the consti- 
tution of Freemasonry, and so perfect an analogy is it of 
the christian church, that I am surprised no use has been 
made of the striking similitude. If any member, or mem- 
bers of any lodge should presume to set up any other 
lodge, similarly or otherwise constituted, and to desecrate 
its mysteries without a commission or permission so to 
do from a lodge already constituted according to ancient 
usage, he or they would lie under a ban, and their pro- 
ceedings and irregularly constituted body would not be 
acknowledged. Herein, also, is a striking resemblance 
of the church. No christian church can be formed but 
in one of two ways. 1st, Either as a branch or daughter 
of some church already regularly constituted and main- 
tained in continuity of existence, without interruption or 
lapse, or 2d, By direct authority from our Lord, su- 
perhumanly authenticated, for he is the head of the 
church, and the head master mason. 

Churches so regularly continued in and maintaining 
their succession, have a right to claim the miraculous 
14 



158 

gins and power of the Holy Ghost, because these are 
promised, Mark xvi. 17. 

I do by no means affirm that the gifts of the Holy 
Ghost may not be given to some extent to any individual 
whom our Lord may choose, either in or out of any 
church regularly or irregularly constituted. But I know 
of no promises to this effect except Joel ii.,and in Isaiah 
xv — when " the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the 
whole earth, as the w T aters cover the sea." 

I have, however, Mr. Hermit, no hesitation in declar- 
ing my conviction, that the experiences and proceedings 
in the mock ordination of men to ministerial offices in 
the church of our Lord, and in the initiation of members 
into his body, is irregular, schismatic, subversive of all 
unity, therefore antichristian, and not of the Holy Ghost 
in the general instances which you have adduced. 

Hermit. Many thanks to you, my good Theophilus. 
I renounce all claim to compliment on bringing you 
round to sound, sober sense. You have reasoned your- 
self into a right view of the standing of the church, and 
seeing her errors, may be better prepared whenever it 
may please the Holy Spirit to employ you in its minis- 
try, as 1 doubt not he will, to amend in some measure its 
faults. But both the failings and virtues of the church 
of England deserve and shall have some farther notice 
when we shall have dismissed the pretenders whom we 
have now on hand 

Presuming to no special gifts of that Holy Spirit of 
our Lord which should enable rne to pronounce decided- 
ly on the nature of the spirit which these people invoke, 
leaving their hearts and occult experiences in his hands 
who alone can know them, I venture not to pronounce 
that the Holy Spirit has or has not poured out on them, 
from his fulness, some limited gifts. But " by their works 
ye shall know them." By these we are directed to judge 
them. We see, then, that these people pretend to offer 
no other external proof of the gifts of the spirit, beyond 
their professions and their good works ; that they follow 
the commandments of the Lord in their worldly conduct 
according to their methods of interpretation of the New 
Testament, affecting to have nothing to do with the Old. 
I observe one grand object with them is to vituperate the 
church, that is, the episcopal church, and other sects ; that 
they neither study the scriptures, keep the Sabbath, nor 
many other ordinances. I fear, therefore, they are not 
moved by the Holy Spirit, whose object is union, not 
division. 



151) 

That some of them do amend their lives even to a tol- 
erable moral standard, must be confessed ; and in so far, 
may be subject to a holy spiritual influence ; but no man 
can know their hearts : and still they fall very short, and 
worldly objects may be fairly assumed for some of their 
best works. They show even in these no signs of 
special spiritual gifts, beyond numerous examples 
even in the episcopal church, of which men cannot judge. 
I do not. There is nothing in them that commands my 
obedience, or even my subservience to them. There is no- 
thing in them which may not be, and which has not been 
assumed by wicked men ; these therefore, that they as- 
sume on certain experiences within themselves only, are 
no special signs by which the presence of the Holy Spirit 
can be assumed in those persons,authorizing other persons 
to believe them to be the special gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

But in their prayer meetings it is said they are mani- 
festly moved by a spirit above their ordinary spirit. They 
make long orations called prayer — some I am told which 
may be fairly adopted as the prompting of the Holy Spir- 
it. Be it so. I know not enough of them to enable me 
to judge, but unaccompanied by any other external tes- 
timony, and being irregular, I am at liberty to reject even 
this as insufficient to convince me that I should defer to 
such teaching. So far as my present experience goes, I 
cannot admit that they give evidence that they are cho- 
sen by our Lord as teachers of his word, of which indeed 
as it is written, they are generally very ignorant. 

Indeed I must say, that failing to produce a spirit of 
scriptural inquiry, failing to produce obedience to the 
word of scriptures, I fear their very best prayers, (but I 
have not heard them) tailing to use that form of prayer 
taught by our Lord himself, failing I say in all these 
marks of a holy spirit, I fear the spirit which prompts 
their orations, may be another spirit than the Holy 
Ghost ; and any other is evil. But they must stand or 
fall to their own master. 1 doubt both their sanctity and 
their truth. I try without success to persuade myself that 
some may be moved and taught by the Holy Ghost, but 
they avoid the sacraments ; therefore my reason and all 
revelation justifies suspicion that they are not subject to 
the Holy Spirit. I cannot receive^them as teachers, and 
for themselves I must leave them to be judged by the 
Lord. 

1 have said (on report) that the spirit which in them 
prompts and dictates prayer, seems to me to be an enmity 
to the holy scriptures, which we know are revelations 



160 

from the spiritual world, from almighty power, from God 
Almighty, from our Lord himself. What then shall we 
say ? Shall we hesitate to pronounce that in so far as the 
teaching of this spirit, whose manifestations are so com- 
monly exhibited by these recited experienes, is contrary, 
adverse and inimical to the teaching of the Holy Ghost 
in the written scriptures, it is antichristian, it is evil, it is 
Satanic ? But these people deny stoutly that they are 
so. But do they not subject the works of this spirit to 
man, to fallible man, to each other, to their self-called, 
self-elected teachers for judgment — is not division of the 
members of these little bodies perpetuated by this spirit? 
And we have shown that Satan is the author of disunion 
and division of man from man, and from his Maker. This 
is the result of this spirit's work most assuredly ; there- 
fore it is most assuredly Satanic. But we must not ven- 
ture too far in judgment of each other, but look at home, 
take the beam out of our own eye, before we venture to 
remove the mote from our brother's eye. Let us endea- 
vor to render ourselves, with the aid of God's grace, per- 
fect as he would have us. Let us by intercommunion 
with each other, impart of the good grace' we have re- 
ceived, and thus render our experiences useful to each 
other, and endeavor to graft all separate members into 
the parent stock again, even into Christ our Lord and our 
God. 

On this subject of the trial of the spirits, the Irvingites, 
who had sometimes supernatural voices among them of 
a very extraordinary nature, sought from scripture a com- 
pendious form or mode of conducting such trial. There 
is in my Ubrary an excellent account of their rise and 
progress in Richard Baxter's narrative, and the direction 
from John's epistle was adopted to this effect, that no 
man can say or declare (his conviction, belief, or faith,) 
that Jesus Christ is the Lord, and has been manifested 
in human flesh, but by the Spirit of the Lord, therefore, 
whenever any person, not known to their church as being 
a prophet, or so used to speak by inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit they were used to try them by this test — Is Jesus 
Christ come in the flesh ? But this test was found to be 
insufficient to preserve them from delusion, of which an 
account may be seen in the said narrative of Richard 
Baxter, in the case of Miss H. who acknowledged that 
she had once done so, that is, she had once spoken not by 
the Holy Spirit or power ; this once was quite enough 
to break up all faith in her communications^ so long as 



161 

not supported by other, and incontrovertible testimony. 
Baxter himself, had certain supernatural powers of ut- 
terance, in tongues and wonderful showings forth of the 
scriptures, by spiritual aid or suggestions, which had all 
the signs of being the gifts of the Holy Ghost ; but he 
had not the faith of Abraham, he doubted that satan had 
been the author of some of these suggestions and gifts 
of utterance, and so he fell ; and he fell because he af- 
fected to reconcile those promptings of the Spirit to his 
own spirit, and fancied that the Spirit which spoke in 
him, had deceived him; herein was his faithlessness mani- 
fest, and we learn thereby to receive the communica- 
tions of the Spirit through other fallible channels or per- 
sons with great caution; and great caution too, must be 
used in rejecting any extraordinary Spirit which may 
visit us, lest we should thereby be rejecting an angel of 
the Lord ; and as much caution is required, or even 
more, in rejecting the testimony of extraordinary Spirits 
in others ; in ourselves our own spirit furnishes sufficient 
testimony for our own conviction, but more is required 
to fix my faith in the extraordinary spiritual manifesta- 
tions in other persons. As to the Ii vingites, 1 can of 
myself be no judge, but the world has judged that the 
testimony offered, that these gifts were of the Holy 
Ghost, was insufficient, and certainly I never had testi- 
mony enough to satisfy me. The great object of these 
spiritual and extraordinary gifts in the church of Irving, 
was the proclamation of the near approach of the second 
coming of our Lord in the power and majesty of the 
Almighty Eternal in the glorified person of Jesus Christ, 
to consummate the redemption of the world, and to estab- 
lish his reign, in person, over all the earth. Believing 
this fact, I declare myself to feel so much interest in that 
glorious event, as promised, as to be ever ready and eager 
to receive any news or communications from our Lord's 
spiritual kingdom on the subject, therefore, although I 
have not had (and perhaps, because I have not sought) 
sufficient testimony to prove to me incontestibly, the truth 
of those late revelations, yet 1 do not discredit them. 

I would however offer a £ew words on the test that 
sect, if sect it can be (.'ailed, adopted to try the Spirits. 
That confession of faith prescribed by John to be ex- 
acted from persons speaking in the Spirit, that " Jesus 
Christ has come in the flesh," is, in some measure, as to 
its sense or meaning, obscure or ambiguous ; for the Uni- 
tarian who disbelieves the divinity and omnipotency of 
14* 



162 

Jesus Christ, may say this, nay the very devils acknowl- 
edged this, and more, that He was the Holy One, the 
Son of God. This declaration then, as a spiritual test, 
seems to me, not to go far enough to secure us against 
the wiles or methodisms of the devil. Ephes. vi. 2. 

But a declaration may be framed to embrace what 1 
understand to be the full meaning of that in Saint John's 
epistle, which would leave us little room to doubt of the 
nature of the Spirit speaking in any one. " Dost thou 
declare, O Spirit! that thou speakest to us in the name 
and power of Jesus Christ, who being the only begotten 
Son of the Almighty Father, that made the heavens and 
the earth, and all things spiritual and material; that the 
same Jesus being in the form and flesh of a man, the 
same Almighty Father dwelt in him, and was openly 
manifested to men in human flesh by works of Almighty 
power, who being one with Almighty power, or God 
Almighty, the same God, the Father is to be forever 
worshipped and glorified in the God-man Jesus Christ, 
art thou that Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son, 
whom our Lord Jesus Christ promised to send to in- 
struct us in all truth ? " Or in shorter terms, a christian 
may lawfully question a Spirit thus : " In the name of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is God over all blessed for 
ever, I charge thee to tell us whether thou speakest to 
us in His most holy name, and by his authority ? " And 
where sufficient testimony is not given to command the 
full faith of a christian, he may be exorcised thus : " If 
thou be an evil spirit, I command thee in the name of 
Jesus Christ, Lord of all the works of God Almighty, to 
come out of him !" If the exorcist be a christian with 
faith as a grain of mustard seed, no evil spirit can with- 
stand the power which is given to and by this great 
name, or else our New Testament is a dead-letter. 

Without attempting to carry our inquiries into an- 
tiquity, 1 shall take this occasion to speak of some later 
gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, in which 
multitudes had perfect belief, and which greater multi- 
tudes fancy to be delusions of satan or impostures. 

About the year 1792, supposed the termination of the 
great prophetic period of 1260 years, one Richard Broth- 
ers announced himself commissioned by the Lord to 
preach a warning to that generation, in the spirit of the 
old prophet Jonah. His predictions, mostly of a political 
nature, which were the signs of his prophetic mission, 



163 

were remarkably fulfilled, particularly in the events 
which accompanied and followed the French revolution. 
His warnings were addressed to the king and privy 
council. He was sent with a message to parliament, 
but all his messages were unheeded. The burden of his 
prophetic warning was, to continue looking for the 
Lord's promised second coming in judgment and glory ; 
not to intermeddle with the French revolution, which, if 
we did, it would bring great troubles on England, a na- 
tion greatly favored by God Almighty. Revolutionary 
parties were strong in the nation at that day, and Rich- 
ard Brothers was suspected of being the creature of 
some such party; he was examined before the council, and 
found blameless. He was a lieutenant in the navy, and 
being then quite sane, he was confined in a mad-house, 
and his half-pay stopped to defray his expenses ; he be- 
came discontented, impatient, mad, blasphemous, and at 
length, when really mad, was liberated, fell under a sad 
delusion, believed and announced himself to be the Shi- 
ioh, the Messiah, the deliverer of the Jews, and died, I 
believe, an infatuated fanatic, under gross delusion. The 
world has concluded from the termination of his career, 
that he was a false prophet, a madman, and impostor; 
but can we so conclude ? There was one remarkable fact 
predicted by him, as seen by himself in vision, the assas- 
sination of the king of Sweden by Ankerstroom. The 
event verified the prophetic character of his vision, 
which was published, I believe, before the fact. Whilst 
myself reading the account given by Elias Carpenter of 
Richard Brothers, where this is mentioned, an account 
was put into my hand of a most remarkable visionary 
scene enacted more than one hundred years before the 
event, in Sweden itself, where the whole scene of the 
assassination and execution of the assassin was enacted 
in the waking presence of Gustavus and three of his 
principal ministers, and left on record, attested by the 
king himself. 

What shall we say to these two visions, more than a 
hundred years apart, in two such different places, and 
by such different men ? Both visions were verified by 
the fact. The truth therefore of Brother's mission from 
our Lord cannot be doubted, and perhaps the final infat- 
uation, absurdity, and delusion, of this man was per- 
mitted"by the Lord to harden the hearts of an unbeliev- 
ing nation. I have never seen all the works of Brothers, 
but believe the burden to be to turn this British nation 



164 

to the Lord by repentance, &c, and to expect the fulfil- 
ment of the promised advent which is to precede the 
glorious millennium, to both of which our church and 
state were then deaf. 

Much as I am disposed by all the prejudices of early 
habit and education, to see no blemish in our church, 
and which is in truth (so far as I am able to judge) the 
most free from the shackles of superstition, priestly ty- 
ranny, and spiritual despotism, of any church or sect on 
earth, yet some of her failings are too notorious, and 
threaten to overwhelm us in Laodicean lukevvarmness. 
Her most attached children cannot be blind to these. Her 
errors, however, are for the most part of omission. Er- 
rors of commission she has perhaps few, and those few 
are legacies from her Roman mother. Whether Broth- 
ers addressed himself to the church at all, 1 know not, 
but it is probable he did so specifically. The church's 
duty should be to seek out the persons who have special 
spiritual gifts, and all who come, or say only they come,on 
our Lord's business,or with communications from or about 
him ; nay she should be as anxious to do so as a fond wife 
to receive news from her absent husband, for whose re- 
turn she only hopes as the consummation of earthly 
bliss. But alas ! if our Lord were to return to his spouse 
(the church) tomorrow, has she even a chamber to re- 
ceive him in ? I must guard myself against breaking out 
into rhapsody, for the subject would be lamentation and 
wo. To do the subject justice, T should be obliged to 
view the church as seduced into spiritual harlotry and 
adultery with the enemy of our Lord, his murderer, 
even Satan. Therefore I say she would have no cham- 
ber to welcome her Lord in, much less would his em- 
braces be welcome, polluted as she is by Satanic inter- 
course. But enough of this here. Our next prophet 
has abundance to the purpose. We have decided that 
the ministry as a body, and almost to every individual in 
all the sects and churches, are appointed to their offices 
by Satanic influence. Therefore it is not to be wonder- 
ed at, that there should appear more than indifference to 
any subject which might lead to more vital religion, or a 
reformation of evils that all must see, and too many be 
in the enjoyment of its fruits. This will account for the 
spiritual enmity evinced by the church as a body, to all 
who either did or fancied they did enjoy some special 
gifts of the Holy Spirit, for she herself has long ceased 
to claim any such. And why? Her paramour must 



165 

turn out of doors whenever her true Lord shall return to 
possess his own. [ am a little figurative here, but you, 
Theophilus, I am sure will quite understand me, and my 
reflections on this head are principally intended as sug- 
gestions for you to enlarge upon. The conclusion is 
this : the church, the episcopal church of England, is 
not merely indifferent to spiritual endowments and spir- 
itually gifted persons, but is inimical to them, and watches 
with an eye of the keenest jealousy, every slip they 
make, and to which as mortals and sinful men they must, 
although prophets, although gifted, still be prone. 

The generation which our Lord visited in humility, 
spoke evil of him ; how much more will these do so of 
his messengers, who are but sinful men ? An open man- 
ifestation of spiritual gifts, is branded by the worldly- 
wise as a presumptuous affectation of extraordinary pi- 
ety, and found, as all men must be, fallible. They are de- 
nounced as hypocrites for this manifestation of Satanic 
envy and jealousy. (I must think it is so, if it be lawful 
to attribute motives to God Almighty.) Our Lord is 
pleased to permit this generation to harden themselves 
in their unbelief, by using the most fallible and humble 
of his creatures as the instruments of his communica- 
tions. But I must cease from these reflections. 

Rusticus. Indeed, Hermit, I like these reflections of 
yours much better than drier stuff; and all episcopalian, as 
you call yourself, I think that you must admit that our 
kirk, if it be bad, is not quite so bad as your church, as 
to Satanic influence on its ministry. 

Hermit. Indeed, Rusticus, mother Kirk has nothing 
to boast of over her elder sister church. She is a much 
less comely person, therefore Satan has not taken such 
a fancy to her, and subjects her to less temptation. And 
in truth there is an old remark I have somewhere heard, 
that he has Kirk safe enough at his will, on the side of 
her doctrines of fatal decrees, rank fatalism ; both Calvin- 
ists and Mahommedans are said to be safely hooked ; 
therefore the wicked one has no need to tempt them with 
other bait. They appear to travel on more smoothly, be- 
cause they cannot get loose. Satan (some say) can bag 
them when he will. I have heard the same said of So- 
cinians, too. 

Academicus. I hope, my friend Rusticus, you are 
satisfied about mother Kirk. I fancy you will not be in 
a hurry to make many more comparisons in compliment 
pf that homely lady. I am desirous to hear more of the 



166 

modern prophets, and hope you will continue your ac- 
count of them. The subject of spiritual gifts, and how 
to try them, is to me very interesting, Mr. Hermit. I 
think you made some mention of the signs of a prophet. 
What are we to understand these to be ? for I should 
think, if there were any sure and certain signs by which 
they may be known, the authenticity of their commu- 
nications could not then be doubted. 

Hermit. I have before, in the course of our conver- 
sations, made a few rather desultory observations on 
them, and the inquiry is perhaps quite in place here. To 
be answered more fully. I shall therefore endeavor to 
do so as briefly as I can. 

Moses, in Deuteronomy xiii. instructs the Israelites 
how to try the prophets. I will quote from memory as 
best I can. " If a prophet shall come to you," (in my 
name,) " and he fortell some future event, if that which 
he shall fortell do come to pass, then I have sent that 
prophet. But if a prophet shall foretell any future event 
which shall come to pass as he has predicted, yet if that 
prophet should teach you to follow any other Gods than 
me, who have manifested myself to you, let nim be put 
to death, fear him not." When a prophet was sent with 
a message, it seems to have been usual to give him some 
sign by which he was to satisfy the people to whom he 
was sent, that he was commissioned by the God of Abra- 
ham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses gave a sign to the Kora- 
ites. He directed them to take fire in their censers, and 
burn incense to the Lord Now incense symbolized the 
prayers of and for the whole congregation, which were 
to be offered up by the high priest only, and after special 
preparation, which it was death for any other to imitate 
or to do; (by the by, this applies particularly to extem- 
pore and liturgical prayers in the public worship of the 
church, and is an unanswerable reason why a liturgical 
form is more acceptable to the Lord ;) and he, Moses, 
told the Koraits, if the Lord accepted their offerings, their 
unhallowed prayers or incense, then they would know 
of a surety that the Lord Jehovah had not sent him. You 
know the result; they sought a special sign to satisfy 
their ambition and self-righteousness. Too much like 
modern puritanical sectarists, the sign appointed was fa- 
tal to them. 

The signs that Moses received, first to assure himself 
of the almighty power of Him (Jehovah) who sent him, 
(Moses) the changing his rod to a living serpent, and 



167 



again the serpent to the rod ; the making his hand lep- 
rous and again restoring it. In this you see how careful 
even Moses was to assure himself, or rather to receive 
full assurance of the power of that spirit who spake to 
him. It was evidently supernatural, but it might not be 
the spirit of almighty power. Of this he would be assur- 
ed before he undertook to execute the Lord's commis- 
sion, and you remember by what signs he authenticated 
this commission to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The fas- 
tidiousness of Moses in trying the spirit who spake to 
him, is a lesson of caution to all christians, not to be- 
lieve every spirit, but to try the spirits and the gracious 
condescension of our Lord to the slow apprehension of 
his creatures throughout is quite marvellous and encour- 
aging. 

The signs were various, and adapted to circumstances, 
Sometimes they were things that had passed, which none 
but the Father of all spirits could know, such as that of 
Nathan to David, that of Isaiah to Hezekiah in answer to 
his secret prayers, those continued signs to Isaiah when 
sent to Ahaz, and those to Ahaz, and future generations, 
so well explained by Irving in the morning watch, and 
we see why signs were alwavs inquired for by the Jews. 
It is needless, I presume, to say more on the subject now, 
but to apply what has been said to R. Brothers. Nu- 
merous were the signs in the way of predictions that ac- 
companied his earliest communications, and had the 
church, as was its duty, examined ail his signs and mes- 
sages, they would have found them satisfactory ; for 
even I who think myself sufficiently disposed to incredu- 
lity, am satisfied. But when Jonah-like, he became an- 
gry, he fell, and although he still evidently was under 
the influence of a supernaturl spirit, yet no more sure 
signs were given, he fancied himself the Shiloh promis- 
ed to the Jews. This was to be their God manifest in 
the flesh, the Messiah which this man fancied himself 
to be. This was in fact preaching another God, and that 
God in himself. And God was pleased to permit this, 
perhaps because of the incredulity and negligence to 
seek rational conviction. 

I am now, Academicus, about to enter on the history 
of another prophet, of a totally distinct character from 
any that have preceded her. In the same year, 1792, 
Johanna Southcott appeared in England. She bore tes- 
timony to R. Brothers, and against his later blasphemies. 
As her writings, which contain a full account of herself, 
and those of Elias Carpenter, her friend, witness and 



168 

opponent, will be found in my library, it will not be ne- 
cessary to relate much about her. You may by them 
judge for yourselves, and pass whatever sentence on her 
spirit that the spirit in you may dictate ; in short her 
case is as follows : 

Johanna, whom Elias Carpenter calls Noadiah in some 
of his writings concerning her, was born about 1751, in a 
village in Devonshire. She was a poor farmer's daugh- 
ter, scarcely instructed in the art of reading ; she was a 
servant, and frequently hired out by the day, or week, or 
job, for her subsistence. She could neither write nor 
spell her own language, but she could make marks very 
coarsely indeed, of which I have one specimen of her 
own writing, by which you may, if you please, be satis- 
fied that she had no advantages of educated instruction. 
She could read the bible, however, and, it seems, attach- 
ed herself to it much. About 1788 or 1789, it would 
seem she had some spiritual visitations, that is, a Spirit 
distinct from her own body and soul, which became, as it 
were, the internal tenant of her person, and could, and did 
communicate with her as distinctly, or even more so f 
than a more external companion could do. Her first in- 
timate acquaintance with this Spirit greatly alarmed her f 
1 believe, but when more habituated to commune with 
it, she was led by it, and became a prophetess. Under the 
Spirit's direction she appealed to the elergyman of the 
parish, according to the rules of the church, of which 
this man was chosen by the spirit as a fair sample of 
the whole body. She was told, but rather obscurely, by 
the spirit, that he in the end would betray her ; his name 
was Pomeroy. She published, still under the spirit's 
guidance, some of her early prophecies, in which Mr. 
Pomeroy's name was mentioned. He had no objections 
to know and advise her so long as he could do so 
only behind the curtain ; but when he was yoked in 
print with an obscure, ignorant and illiterate personage, 
a visionary enthusiast, a pretender to have manifest gifts 
of the Holy Ghost, he was joined with his prophetess to 
be the butt of sarcasm, sneer, derision and contempt of 
all the hierarchy ; he had not the moral courage to with- 
stand the raillery of the hierarchy, and he did betray 
her. He destroyed the prophecies of two or three years, 
which he held in trust for her, although the signs which 
he had himself required, were really given to him. 

His intention by this breach of faith was, to prevent 
his name from appearing as the abettor of a low person, 



who had been subject to much vituperation and foolish 
sarcasm from the ministry of every sect, and to the utter 
contempt of the hierarchy of the established church ; 
but the woman, aided or led by her familiar spirit, to 
whose guidance she was implicitly obedient, exposed him 
to the utter contempt of all good men ; for she publish- 
ed, I believe, upwards of eighty considerable pamphlets, 
and in, I think, the greater number of them, Mr. Pome- 
roy's name and treason were prominent features ; thus 
producing the very consequence he deprecated and tried 
to avoid. 

Johanna, as a prophetess, led by the spirit, fulfilled all 
righteousness. She addressed the bishops and three 
thousand of the clergy, by letters personally addressed 
to them ; she addressed the clergy of the church as a 
body, and offered to submit her writings and the whole 
detail of the spirit's operations in her, to any twenty -four 
ministers ot the church, who would undertake to ex- 
amine the whole evidence by which she believed the 
communications to be from our Lord God himself, if they 
would examine them dispassionately and seriatim. She 
would abide by their decision, and if they should declare 
her communications to have been from an evil or delud- 
ing spirit, or not from the Almighty God himself, she 
would abide by their judgment, even to the destruction 
of whatever she had written, and future silence. 

What more could any real prophet do to convince 
men really willing to be convinced ? Our Lord, we 
know, could have forced them into a proper line of con- 
duct, but he will have no pressed men, none but volun- 
teers. These men would not be persuaded. 

There is one peculiar feature in these new revelations 
not only to Johanna, but to many of, perhaps all the 
other prophets who have at various times risen in Eng- 
land, (and of whose histories I am too ignorant,) that 1 
will speak of whilst I think of it, and will be very com- 
fortable to Theophilus. That their exhortations, warn- 
ings and threatenings are generally addressed to' the 
church Episcopal of England, which is a clear proof of 
our Lord's interest in that church. 

Johanna and some others were inclined to the Meth- 
odists, but for public worship were directed to the forms 
and liturgy of the Church of England, not in absolute 
bondage to a mere formalism, but that a liturgical form 
on that model was agreeable to the Lord. Moreover, in 
all her works, and particularly in her bible readings, Ro- 
15 



170 

manism, Calvinism, Arianism, or modern Unitarianism 
ana* Methodism have their peculiarities subject to exam- 
ation and reproof, even by the Holy Spirit of our Lord 
himself. 1 do not recollect a single allusion to any error 
in the doctrines or form of government in our church, 
but much, very much on the apathy and negligence of 
the ministry, and criminal apostacy of some, whom, to 
awaken to repentance and a sense of duty, seems to 
have been one great object of our Lord in these special 
revelations. 

The grand object of all, however, appeals to have been 
the proclamation of the near approach of the second ad- 
vent of our Lord, and in Johanna's person and history 
to set forth by living drama a shadow of the history and 
errors of the church. She is reminded continually that 
she is not the substance, but offered to the world as a 
shadow. 

Her bible readings, her parables, and some other pro- 
ductions, are really beautiful, but being conveyed in 
homely and ungrammatical dialect, and, moreover, in 
what may be termed in doggrel rhyme, drew on her the 
sarcasms of the worldly, wise and learned. One parson 
was hardy enough to say that he had no notion of a 
Holy Ghost that could not write grammar ; and by many 
of the clergy she was designated by inost cruel names. 

About 1801 or 1802, three clergymen of the church 
acknowledged her mission to be divine, and many pious, 
good persons attached themselves to her cause, proved 
and authenticated her writings by formal trial at tw T o 
several times, 1803 and 1804. So far, therefore, her pro- 
ductions are unquestionable, and her history well authen- 
ticated, i 

She lived ten years after, and died in December, 1814, 
under a most awful trial, and which, as 1 believe, all men 
judge to be a gross delusion. Nevertheless, of her nu- 
merous followers there are many who believe that her 
end is a great mystery, still to be developed by God's 
grace and providence, and perhaps many expect her re- 
turn again before the great day of the Lord, upon what 
grounds, I know not. Mr. Elias Carpenter who was her 
friend, and priest, and opponent, from 1805 until her 
death, says she was set forth as a shadow of the Roman 
Church, as he himself was of the Protestant Church ; 
and, therefore, it was in the Lord's purpose to exhibit in 
the history of these shadows, the good and the evil ex- 
isting in those churches, and I should" much like to see 



171 

an able analysis of both these. I certainly did myself 
much mistake her character. I was in London when 
she died, under the apparent delusion that she was not 
the shadow, but the real woman spoken of in Revela- 
tion xii., and the awful circumstances of her death, 
whilst expecting to produce a son, the Shiloh, the holy 
child who was to rule the world, led me, with all men of 
that day, to conclude that she was an enthusiastic im- 
postor. I think differently now. It is to be expected 
that there is much in the circumstances she was caused, 
or permitted by the Lord to enact, which cannot now be 
understood in her prophetic character, inconsistent as it 
is with the ignorance so manifest in herself. Why the 
Lord permitted her to fall under this gross and fearful 
delusion, unless it were as Carpenter supposes, to com- 
plete the picture she was made to represent, as the like- 
ness of an apostate church, which has abused his gifts 
and endowments really in substance, as much and as 
grossly as in her, the shadow, they seemed to be abused ; 
this mystery is yet to be solved. 

Academicus. Really, Mr. Hermit, 1 was somewhat 
alarmed for your judgment when you took up the case 
of Johanna. I have never heard her name mentioned 
but as the very acme of imposture and enthusiasm. As 
you have developed her character in the very compen- 
dious way you have, I am become so much interested 
in her history, that I shall read her works certainly, un- 
der the impression you have given, that she is the picture 
of Pope Joan, and her true representative, even under 
the same name. Your time is past, good host, we must 
not trespass on your hours. 

Hermit. God bless us all, my friends : good night. 



FIFTEENTH -CONVERSATION. 

Theophilus, Rusticus, Academicus and Freeborn, met before 
the log fire, after the usual round of worship and -prayer. 
Hermit not being present after the conclusion of the ser- 
vices, being called off to a neighbor on some business. 

Academicus. Mr. Freeborn, we are all infinitely in- 
debted to you for your introduction to our host, Mr. Her- 
mit, whom we have found to be a man of much sound 
knowledge, particularly on matters of religion; but 



m 

what seems to us very unaccountable, that although he 
reads the service for the benefit of his neighbors, regu- 
larly, and has chosen excellent discourses from most 
pious men for you, yet he seems to have little influence, 
and to be but lightly esteemed in this particular. We 
think we have never met so much experience and sound 
faith in any man. 

Freeborn. Why, you see gentlemen, we are used 
to judge for ourselves in matters of this sort, and al- 
though we are all obliged to say that Hermit is a good 
old man enough, and is very learned, for the ministers 
who visit us occasionally, who have conversed with him, 
all say he knows the bible well, yet we have a few things 
against him. He always uses a book to read from and 
pray by. Our people who are called to the ministry use 
none. The prayers he uses may be very good, but our 
people seem never to feel them ; and it is a question 
whether many of them understand what they are praying 
for, and to whom, when in church. He has taken great 
pains to persuade all the people and their children to be 
sprinkled, which we generally think can do them no 
good ; and many wicked people have been so christened. 
And he tries to persuade them they should never stay 
away from the sacrament, whereas we do not think our- 
selves good enough to meddle with such holy things. 
Our people tell all their experiences in our meetings. 
We bewail our sins; all take a part, speak, and pray, 
and beseech tbe meeting to pray for us. We feel our 
religion so deeply, that it is not uncommon with good 
and earnest preachers, to see him, and all, men, women 
and children, have their hearts so touched as to break 
forth in extacies, both of joy and grief, so as to cause our 
lamentations and rejoicings to be heard afar off; scream- 
ing, crying, laughing, and some even yelling. This is 
indeed experiencing religion ; it is feeling it. We see 
nothing of all this in Hermit's meetings. It is true he 
never lets an opportunity slip him to give us lectures on 
religion whenever we call on him on business, or he on 
us; but then he tells us he is no parson, no minister, 
and is no more than one of us ; so for the most part our 
people don't mind what he says. We all see, however, 
and own, that our people are neither so wild or wicked 
as they used to be before he settled among us. 

As for his acquaintance, you see he has often invited 
me to spend an evening or two with him. But his hours 
don't suit me at all. I must do my work and be up 



173 

early, which I could not do if I sat up all night ; but 
now, in these Christmas times, I don't mind, and so I am 
come over this evening to see how you make it out with 
neighbor, and to have a little conversation. 

Theophilus. But if Hermit himself is no parson, 
Mr. Freeborn, parsons of the church no doubt come here 
occasionally to do that which Hermit, not being a par- 
son, cannot do ; that is, administer the sacraments. And 
as for preaching, the truth is the truth, come from whom 
it will. Tray, Mr. Freeborn, do your people believe that 
the extatic feeling you speak of in their experiences, is 
the Holy Spirit in them ? 

Freeborn. Yes, certainly. Who else could tell them 
their sins were forgiven ? Who else could teach them 
to pray ? And some of our people, young and old, who 
had never been able to open their mouths in prayer, 
would surprise you ; and such words are given to them 
as beat the parson's all hollow. And who else could tell 
when to be immersed ? When once we have been dip- 
ped, then our election is sure, for we don't hold to 
works, or to the Old Testament at all. There we think 
Hermit wrong again, and all the parsons of the church; 
they stick to works. Why, when your election is sure, 
and your name written in the book of life, and your sins 
forgiven, what is the use of works ? 

Theophilus. Fray, Freeborn, do your people imagine 
all the'sins they may commit after their election are for- 
given them at the time they feel the spirit tell them their 
sins are forgiven ? 

Freeborn. Oh no ! but better still , after our elec- 
tion we can commit no sin. 

Rusticus. I do not wonder, Mr. Freeborn, that your 
people prefer your religion to Hermit's, for certainly, it 
seems to me to be the most comfortable religion I have 
heard of, except the Turk's ; there appears to be only one 
objection to it, viz : there is not a word of reason or truth 
in it. 

Hermit. [The Hermit joins the party and addresses 
Freeborn] I am very glad indeed, neighbor, to see you. 
What am I indebted to for this treat? 

Freeborn. Why, curiosity as much as any thing 
else. Your friends have been here a fortnight, and ex- 
cept a little- hunting excursion or two, you have kept 
them entirely to yourself. 

Hermit. Well, Freeborn take a cigar; you are near 
home, and for once in the way you may make holiday ; 
15* 



174 

the northern lights will show you home, for the night is 
bright as silver. And as my countrymen propose stay- 
ing another month with me, you will be better able to 
judge whether this evening's conversation may lead to 
our seeing you oftener. 

Freeborn. Agreed ; I shall feel myself quite at home, 
since I know I shall not be putting you out of your 
usual way. 

Hermit. We were engaged in the history of Johan- 
na Southcott yesterday : let us proceed to make a few ob- 
servations on the most remarkable features, remembering 
always that she was set forth as a shadow of what the 
church was, is, and perhaps will be. 

The three clergymen of the church who attached 
themselves to her, were Foley, Bruce and Webster, all 
learned and pious men. The first named, having satis- 
fied himself of her real character, took her to his house, 
where she lived two years or two months, which of them 
I cannot now make out. She had of books only the 
bible in all this time, in which Foley was quite satisfied 
that her communications, impromptu, were from the 
Holy Ghost; they were as ready as the answers to Saul, 
by Samuel ; 1 Samuel ix. 

I must not here dwell on the particulars of her com- 
munications. She opens out, or rather the spirit in her, 
the promise to the woman in the fall, and shows, most 
beautifully, that although the price of the atonement has 
been fully paid, yet is the consummation of our redemp- 
tion, by the extirpation of Satan from this world, yet re- 
maining to be done by the unequivocal power only of 
the Lord of life, at his second advent. She was sent to 
instruct the church, of which she is a shadow, or per- 
sonification, that our Lord waits only to have this prom- 
ise claimed by the woman, the church ; to fulfil it. 
Johanna taught us, or rather the Holy Spirit in her, how 
to pray for it, and much else that, if it could be attributed 
to the mere imagination or genius of an ignorant and 
illiterate woman, would be most miraculous, and quite 
shame the learned hierarchy, who have never equalled 
her expositions of scripture since the days when Satan 
introduced vain philosophy into the church, the shadow 
of that fruit by which our first mother fell. 

She was made to select twelve witnesses, and these 
were called by name, to bear testimony to the world of 
the truth of her communications, &c. The clergymen 
were, I believe, three of them ; one Elias Carpenter, was 



175 

one also under the character of Joseph. She had a ser- 
vice of worship I believe, daily, and on Sundays in a 
chapel in which Elias was the officiating minister. This 
man was a wholesale paper manufacturer in a large es- 
tablishment in Bermondsey, near London, at Mackinger 
house. He had bible reading and domestic prayers 
three times a day in his house, open to all who 
would ; this man saw with pain that Johanna was but a 
woman, and that the flatteries and fancies of her numer- 
ous followers would lead to her downfall He advised, 
he exhorted, and she became tired of a censor, and her 
advisers jealous of him. They deified their creature, 
the woman, until she quite forgot that she was but a 
shadow. She fancied she was the church in substance, 
and at length the identical woman in Revelations xii. 
which, indeed, is still an unsolved mystery. 

We have, my friends, concluded from the history of 
the New Testament, that the initiation into the church 
was divided into two parts, of which our church makes 
one, viz : baptism, a sacrament, and the other confirma- 
tion, an apostolic institution. I speak of the Church of 
England, but we have concluded this last to be the for- 
mal baptism with the Holy Ghost, and the most essential 
part of initiation into the church. In the course of your 
preceding conversations, we have not spoken much on 
the other sacrament of the Lord's supper. 1 should like 
much to draw your attention to it. I have always 
thought that it was much mistaken in every way, and 
particularly in the fact that the clergy have monopolized 
to themselves the sole right to administer it, as they have 
properly done of the other ; thence its desecration to 
idolatrous uses has necessarily resulted, and Satan has 
absolutely subverted its most comfortable use. 

This abuse was rebuked (as I believe,) by the Holy 
Spirit, in a very particular way, as exemplified by Jo- 
hanna. 

When her followers were very numerous in London, 
the Spirit, by her, directed the holy supper to be com- 
memorated. There arose a question whether it should 
be administered by the clergymen of the church only, 
or by Elias Carpenter, who was considered as being 
called to the ministry by the Spirit in Johanna ; and 
there were some communications, which, whether divine 
or not, I assume to be so in this account ; he was called 
m the character of Ezekiel, and often used this name to 
designate his office and character. 



176 

The question being put to the Spirit in Johanna, it was 
decided that it should be prepared and administered by 
both at different tables ; but I believe the service was di- 
rected to be amended by a direct reference to the coming 
of our Lord, which, in our form is totally omitted now; 
and the followers, said at that time to be many thousands, 
were left free to receive it from which they pleased. 
Elias administered to two or three hundred communi- 
cants, and the Episcopally-ordained clergymen to about 
twenty or thirty. 

If the spirit in Joanna be acknowledged to be divine, 
there can be no question but that the call of Elias was 
more unequivocal than that of the Episcopally-ordained 
ministers, whose call was assumed on their own word 
only, without other testimony. But Elias continued to 
administer this sacrament forty years nearly, five of 
which the spirit bore testimony to his divine commission 
continually by voice and vision, with some detailed in- 
structions. So far as his being thus an acknowledged 
minister of God's word, it makes no difference in the 
monopoly of the administration of this sacrament by the 
priesthood. But I am constrained to confess that 1 have 
been and am still in some doubt whether this monopoly 
is authorized by scripture, admitting that the traditions 
of the church justify it, which I think they do But if 
contrary to scripture, the tradition must be overruled. 
Let us examine. 1st, by analogy : the paschal lamb was 
prepared for those of a house or family , and if too much for 
one family, two or more might join. 2d, by the test of New 
Testament: " they went from house to house, breaking 
bread," &c. &c, viz. the disciples, who continued in the 
faith and doctrine of the apostles, I take this to be. 3d, in 
their lovefeasts they brake bread among one another, 
which led to irregularity and confusion. 4th, by reason ; 
for this was the sign by which christians recognized each 
other, even at common meals, which is commemorated by 
our saying grace before meals. And our Lord himself 
was recognized by the disciples of Einmaus, in the break- 
ing of the bread. 

The question is, I am quite aware, open to various 
opinions. I do not mean to dwell on all that might be 
said ; but in my judgment this ought to be done in 
remembrance of Christ's passion, at least once in every 
church congregation every Sunday, by the minister or 
elder, and at least the same in every christian family by 
father or master, and with every sick person, whether a 
minister be present or not ; so long as two or three chris- 



177 

tians be assembled in the name of the Lord. I have said 
at least every Sabbath, for my opinion is that this should 
be done whenever the elements of bread and wine are 
before us for use. 

The making a mystical ordinance of this sacrament, 
which led naturally to the idolizing- the creative ele- 
ments, appears to have been one of Satan's devices, and 
a masterpiece of art brought into use by the Gnostic 
puritans. The comparative degrees of sanctification of 
some members of Christ's body, the church, was evident- 
ly from the spirit of evil and division, not from the Holy 
Spirit of union in communion, which was in our Lord. 
This question, my friends, is open to you. The close 
communion of certain Calvinists, the refusal of the cup to 
the laity, the mystifying the sacrament by almost all, do 
appear to me to be Satanic errors ; but the worship of 
the mass, like that of the brazen serpent in the days of 
Hezekiah, is absolute and unequivocal idolatry. 

Tell me, Theophilus and Academicus, how you read 
this text: " Do this as oft as you drink it in remem- 
brance of me." May it be transposed thus? " Do this 
in remembrance of me as oft as ye drink it." 

Theophilus. I confess I never considered the text, 
so transposed. In English, it seems that the transposi- 
tion is admissible by the verbal structure, and so I think 
it is in the original Greek ; and therefore, to obtain the 
true sense of our Lord's meaning, it must be considered 
in both ways, and my opinion is that the sense which 
may be deduced as agreeing with the present order of 
expression in our testaments, being also that which 
would result from transposing one member of the propo- 
sition, both agreeing, should in reason and common sense 
be adopted as the true sense ; and therefore, " this do in 
remembrance of me as oft as ye drink it," expresses more 
unequivocally the sense of the command than that used, 
" this do as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." 

If this view were adopted, it would indeed occasion a 
eomplete revolution in holy communion by this sacra- 
ment, and would sanctify every act of social communion, 
and be a death blow to the Romish superstition of the 
mass, and to the fearful mystifications of this sacrament 
by many other sects. But the monopoly by the priests, 
(however ordained to their office,) in all sects maintained 
only, as it appears to me, on the authority of traditional 
usage in the church, rejects that reading altogether, 
which enjoins the commemoration of our Lord's death, 



178 

after every social meal, and denies that this solemn act 
should be as habitual as the morning, noon and eve- 
ning sacrifices of old were ; but only properly to be 
at stated times, and in the presence of the whole com- 
munity, and in prescribed order. I really am at a loss 
how to judge. My reading would justify the daily and 
habitual act of commemoration, but if this were really 
intended, how came our forefathers not to have seen the 
truth ? I should like your opinion, Hermit. 

Hermit. I am decided this ought to be done, and the 
other not left undone. I adopt both readings, and both 
modes of practice. 

Academicus. Our host has an extraordinary tact at 
reconciling seeming contradictions, and he forces my con- 
victions to yield up my disputatious spirit. And I can- 
not but see but that by adopting both readings, and thus 
not denying the full truth of either, we should at once 
destroy one main branch of spiritual despotism, the mo- 
nopoly of this sacrament by the priesthood, and more 
would be done for the union of all sects in the true faith 
and profession of Christianity in a few years of such 
practice, than in ages of our present practice. The chris- 
tian system as established by the apostles, now, by Her- 
mit's aid, opens out on me as perfectly simple, and per- 
fectly consistent. They take care not to receive any one 
into the church without all reasonable human pledges 
for their faith and sincerity; but being once received, 
they become members of the body, arid all holy, all saints, 
and are privileged by our Lord himself, to maintain full, 
free, unobstructed, habitual communion with him; yea, 
even familiar communion with all the saints, and with 
our good Lord always, at all times and in all places ; and 
it is our bounden duty, and should be our pride and glory 
to remember his love and his death for us, in every act, 
in every moment of our lives. 

Theophilus. We need not prolong discussion on 
this point. One fact it is proper to remember, that the 
unrestrained and habitual use of this sacrament led to 
very serious abuses, and ofttimes to an awful desecration 
of it in the Corinthian church ; which indeed may have 
been the cause of this undoubted privilege being with- 
drawn from the laity by the priesthood. 

Rusticus. Come, gentlemen, I think you have now 
said quite enough on this subject. You have decided, I 
think, by analogy with the paschal supper, by the tests 
of scripture, by the practice of primitive christians, that 



TO 

the monopoly of the sacred sacrament for commemorat- 
ing our Lord's death until he shall come again, by the 
priesthood, is a usurpation, and has perverted its pur- 
pose, since the greater part cf christians do never thus 
remember our Lord, and the priests quite neglect the 
great promise of our Lord at his death, in their forms of 
administration, so that it is now forgotten almost, and by 
many esteemed a heresy to entertain. I mean where our 
Lord says, " for as oft aa ye do eat this bread and drink 
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death, until he come." 
The last expression, " until he come," marks an event 
which is to close that manner of commemorating his 
death — even the (return) coming to be with us, to dwell 
among his own people, when being present, we remem- 
ber his death and our affliction no more. It is no longer 
necessary, for we shall then enjoy him by perfect com- 
munion, &c. &c. I say this promise is totally overlook- 
ed by the usurping priesthood of every sect, which could 
not be the case were it the custom to repeat the words 
of Paul to the Corinthians, at all our common meals, 
with reverence and solemnity ; but the institution of 
this sacrament by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are even 
more specific as to the promised return of our Lord, al- 
though I have ventured no comment on them. 

I have taken leave thus to sum up what I understand 
we all agree in, on the subject of the monopoly and 
abuse of this sacrament, and hope we may now have the 
pleasure of hearing Hermit go on without interruption. 

Hermit. I thank you sincerely, Rusticus, for the 
deference you are pleased to express ; but I assure you I 
am more pleased to hear than speak, and our friends Ac- 
ademicus and Theophilns are so ingenuous and candid in 
their remarks and disputation and discussions, too, that 
notwithstanding my long experience in the command of 
other men, I have been enabled to admire in them that 
ait which few can acquire, that conquest which few can 
obtain, viz. self-command. In this art I would become 
their disciple. 

Academicus. Fie ! fie ! Hermit, from any other than 
you, who have shown to us such admirable instances of 
forbearance, from any other than you we might take 
your eulogy as a compliment to which perhaps we had 
some claim ; but from you it sounds something like sar- 
casm and irony. Mutual compliments among friends, 
are perhaps always superfluous, and very often danger- 
ous to truth. Let us dispense with them. 



180 

Freeborn. I like your talk much, but I agree with 
the young man who spoke last. I should have liked it 
much better without what our yankee folk call the soft 
soap. Why, we have many disputes of this sort among' 
us, but we do n't smooth one another down like you and 
your new acquaintance, old man. "When we dispute, 
we do dispute in earnest, and never give up a point as 
long as we can talk, and we are so much in earnest 
that you might suppose sometimes that we were going 
to eat one another ; but our old man here has another way 
that we can't make out. He never contradicts people, yet 
he seems always in company to have it his own way. 
However, I like your talk, and think it almost as good as 
some of the stories in the newspapers, which serve to 
tickle the ears, whilst the mouth is occupied with a cigar. 

Hermit. Neighbor Freeborn, I have heard many dis- 
putations in this country which God Almighty has sc* 
blessed, and many very foolish ones. You, however, 
labor under a great mistake about these my worthy coun- 
trymen and myself. We are not disputing, we are seek- 
ing no preference, honor or credit, over each other. Our 
object is not victory, but truth by amicable discussion, 
in social communion or fellowship over our cigar and 
the log fire, and we think our conversations on the sub- 
ject of religion, which should be most interesting to- 
every man who seeks eternal life, as pleasant as those 
foolish ways of spending these long evenings, so com- 
mon among the mass of mankind, who generally have 
no self-instruction in view, and amuse themselves with 
talking much, with no meaning, or sleeping away the 
time that might be much more profitably employed; and 
the soft soap you talk of, we^use much as you do that of 
your wife's making, to clean off the filth, defilements 
and stains that by nature we are subject to, and to keep 
us in clean good humor, by endeavoring to think of each 
other better than we do of ourselves. In disputes, there 
must always be two sides, one opposed to the other, en- 
gaging us in a species of enmity which is devilish. In 
amicable debate, we are all on one side, united in pursuit 
©f truth. Such union is angelic and heavenly. Having 
said so much, neighbor, about your soft soap, I will now 
give you an opportunity of doing us all a kindness, by 
telling us the little history of u the Amiable Ghost," 
Nelly Butler. I was in the middle of some account of 
an English woman, a prophetess, who lived in London 
principally from 1792 to 1814, and some other persons 
who were within that time favored with some revelation 



181 

From the world of spirits, viz., from our Lord, who is the 
ruler in heaven and in earth, however slow we may be 
to acknowledge this truth, that story of the English 
prophets may keep perhaps till after Christmas. As the 
wonderful tale of Nelly Butler bears directly on what we 
were talking about, namely, spiritual gifts, the gift of 
the Holy Ghost, I hope you will oblige us, and relate it 
as circumstantially as your memory will enable you. 

Freeborn. Why, now Mr. Hermit, you are getting 
serious. 1 should never have thought of telling these 
men a story of ghosts, i thought you did not believe in 
any such things, in Engiand ; for in general I have 
found that people from the old country set up a broad 
horse-laugh when such things are spoken of, which I 
must think is one of the devil's contrivances, for laugh- 
ing the truth in holy things out of countenance, and by 
making people ashamed of it, putting it out of the world 
altogether. This, Hermit, 1 once heard you say, and 
have never forgotten it, for I believe it is God's truth. 

Academics. Mr. Freeborn, there are no infidels nor 
unitarians (in the sense generally understood) here. You 
may tell us any story you please, ^without nny fear of be- 
ing laughed at, although for my own part, 1 confess 1 
am not very credulous ; but I think the blessed spirit of 
•truth so reigns in my conscience, that it will not permit 
me to reject as untrue any fact supported by unquestion- 
able testimony. So pray, Mr. Freeborn, oblige us by 
proceeding if you ^please. 

Free bo kn. Not far to the westward of this place, is 
the little village of Sullivan, in the county of Hancock, 
Maine. That village was the theatre of Nelly Butler's 
ghostly visitations, from about 1799, to 1806. She is 
known in the country by the name of the Blaisdell Ghost, 
because a family of that name seemed for a time to be 
the peouliar object of Nelly's visitations, and were sup*- 
posed, and by many are still supposed, to have produced 
those appearances by art or witchcraft. 

There was a very pious and very learned man named 
Alexander Cummings, an orthodox, or presbyterian min- 
ister, from 1806 to 1830, in this country, who used to go 
about doing good in his vocation, and who has written a 
little pamphlet in 1822, in which he has collected a vasi 
body of evidence on the oaths of about thirty eye and ear 
witnesses, to prove the truth of many of the facts, from 
which I have been able to maintain a clearer recollection 
of them, and so clear and unequivocal is that testimony as 
16 



182 

to thepersons,the facts,the time and the place, that no man 
can doubt who has not the spirit of lying within himself, 
who will not believe though one rose from the dead. 
That pamphlet is still in existence. I have a mutilated 
copy, for it has passed through many hands, which I 
will send to Hermit for your satisfaction. Jt is prefaced 
by some philosophical and religious observations, and the 
facts are detailed in six letters, and the affidavits of the 
witnesses, many of whom are still living, and all are 
named, and some known to myself. Many of the wit- 
nesses, though agreeing in the facts, still maintain a per- 
verse incredulity as to the appearances being supernatu- 
ral ; but cannot and do not pretend to find a reason for 
their unbelief, except this one : " We will not believe." 

The story, in as few words as I can relate it, is this: 

About the year 1796, a young woman named Nelly 
Butler, wife of Captain George Butler of Sullivan, died 
in child-bed, I believe. Her infant also died before her- 
self, and was buried. She was not remarkable for a 
more serious turn of mind than others, but her life was 
moral She was a daughter of Mr. Hooper. 

Perhaps two or three years after, George Butler, her 
former husband, formed an attachment with Lydia Blais- 
dell of the same place, a worthy young woman. But 
his parents and hers were averse to their marriage, and 
they were made the victims of slander and malice, as is 
too often the case. 

About the middle or latter end of 1799, the family of 
the Blaisdells were astonished and alarmed by the first 
visitations of the spirit of Nelly Butler. The family of 
the Blaisdells consisted of father and mother, I believe, 
and several children, mostly grown up. Mr. G. But- 
tler's father was also alive, and he had other children. 
Mr. and Mrs. Hooper, and one sister of Nelly's were 
still living, and all in the village knew her when living. 
There were a number of pious good people in the village, 
and many not so. They appeared to have no regular 
minister of the gospel among them, and like most of the 
people in the country places, formed meetings or congre- 
gations, led by some of their more godly neighbors, and 
each did that in religious matters which seemed good in 
his own eyes. 

Nelly's (viz. her ghost's) usual mode of visitation at 
the house of Mr. Blaisdell, was to announce her intend- 
ed visit by knocking on the outside of the house, some- 
times in one place, or in various parts at the same time. 



183 

She seldom became visible until invited, and her usual 
practice was not to speak until spoken unto, and she 
seemed careful not unnecessarily to alarm any one. Hers 
were all visits of love and good will, and those who desired 
not to see her she never appeared unto. She conversed 
freely, sometimes being visible in the form she had when 
living, and sometimes invisible. She appeared or took 
form sometimes in the midst of thirty or forty people, 
beginning in a very small spot of light, which gradually 
increased to the natural size of her person. She invited 
them to shake off all superstitious fear, to handle her, and 
feel that she had neither flesh nor bones. Some did so, 
and particularly her former husband, whose arm was 
seen at one time, in the cellar of Mr. B. and by thirty 
people, to pass through her form, and when in the midst 
of it, was illumined by her brightness, which also lighted 
the cellar, so that although every one assured himself of 
its being caused by no illusion or artifice, they saw 
the color of each others' and their own clothes. In short, 
all the painstaking that human wit or caution could take 
to detect any fallacy or deception, were taken and court- 
ed by the ghost of Nelly. She related various circum- 
stances to her father, mother, sister and husband, and 
also to acquaintances, which none but they and herself 
knew, to assure them, and they were perfectly assured. 
She appeared by night and by day, in various houses and 
places, and in the open air, sometimes with a perfectly 
natural appearance, but generally as a luminous and se- 
mi-transparent body. In speaking, there was no appear- 
ance of breathing, and in moving from place to place, 
there was no walking motion, but her whole form moved 
at once. Her voice and speech were marked by all the 
peculiarities of those faculties when living. In short, 
none who then lived doubted but that her appearances 
were purely spiritual, or ghostly and angelical, but never 
with wings. Having premised so much, I may now 
proceed to the objects of her visits and her communica- 
tions. The main object seemed to be to convince people 
of the mischievous tendency of the French philosophy, 
just then much in fashion, and to prove unquestiona- 
bly the existence of a spiritual world, where the souls of 
just men made perfect, dwell with the Lord Jesus Christ, 
whose divine dominion in heaven and in earth she dem- 
onstrated ; and whenever the name God was spoken, 
she added, " and our Lord Jesus Christ ; " thus recall- 
ing his divinity to their recollection on every proper 
occasion. 



f84 

Her first object was to assure Mr. Blaisdell that the 
carriage of his daughter to George Butler, her own 
former husband, was according to divine will, and could 
not be prevented. She coinfbrted Lydia, his daughter, 
who appeared to be the object of her visit; she desired 
Mr. Blaisdell and Lydia, to see old Mr. Butler and his 
family, and she would appear to them altogelher. She- 
accompanied them, supporting Lydia, whose female nerv- 
ousness led her on some occasions to faint, until she as- 
sured her that she should not faint again at her presence. 
But the prejudices of the parents on both sides, and of 
the parties themselves, owing to numerous slanders, 
were not finally overcome until after many visits and 
many predictions of future events, and those in distant 
parts, had confirmed the/ faith of all. 

She was seen at one time in the midst of a very large 
assemblage, met for the purpose, in the house either of 
Blaisdell or Butler, with the spirit and form of her own 
infant in her arms, and assured them the body of her 
said infant would arise with her own at the resurrection, 
thus assuring them of this great truth. 

But the most extraordinary appearance to ray mind, 
was on an occasion when, no less than eighty persons 
being present, she cautioned them against levity and un- 
belief; and one Mr. Simpson, the leader of their meeting, 
being present, with whom she had much conversation 
of a religious nature, and who had questioned her par- 
ticularly, whether she were from heaven or from below, 
and she satisfied him of her own spiritual identity by 
relating to him some conversations between them during 
her life, so that he doubted not. She then invited the 
eighty to form themselves in order, two and two, to sing 
a psalm, chosen by Simpson, and accompany her to the 
burial place of the village This appears to have been 
in the evening, about twilight. They did so, as directed ; 
and she led the procession, all singing the psalm. The 
grave-yard appears to have been less than a mile off. 
She assembled these eighty persons at the grave of her 
infant. Under her direction, the coffin and body was 
dug up, another grave for them was dug, about ten yards 
from the former, in which they (the coffin and corpse) 
were buried. Psalms were sung, 1 believe, during the 
whole ceremony, or perhaps with intervals ; they then 
returned to the house in similar order. She remarked 
that God was a God of order, and was pleased with it. 

To me, this appears to have been done to preserve a 



185 

striking memorial of her visitations to that and future 
generations, to confirm their faith in the spiritual ap- 
pearance of the infant in her arms. There appears in- 
deed, in Mr. Cumming's account, no sworn testimony 
that I recollect, of this procession, but of another of up- 
wards of thirty persons, in open day, the ghost being 
with them, by the side of Lydia, mostly, but sometimes 
separate ; there is full and ample testimony on oath, of 
many who formed parts in it. 

At length George Butler and Lydia Blaisdell were 
married, and then she revealed to Lydia that she would 
have one child and then die. 

Her visits were still continued for other objects, use- 
less to recapitulate. Lydia Butler had one child and 
died. Nelly's ghost still was permitted to appear at 
times, and on being questioned whether she had ever ap- 
peared in spirit as then, elsewhere on earth, since her 
death, she answered she had, five times. 

On one occasion when about thirty were present, in a 
cellar, she exhorted them all to a godly life, to read and 
study the Bible,and sung hallelujahs,the song of the bless- 
ed spirits, as related in John's vision of the revelations. 
She detained them until past day-light on Sunday morn- 
ing, warning them to keep that day holy. The cellar 
door was thrown open for some time, and as she departed 
was seen to ascend, singing still loud hallelujahs in open 
day-light, about six o'clock, in August, 1800, 1 believe. 
She addressed herself particularly to the younger peo- 
ple in exhortations. She answered Mr. Simpson, that 
her conversion or change of heart, took place on her 
death-bed. That in the different religious sects there 
were good and bad. That the spirits of the good were 
received into the heavenly host at the death of their 
body, but of hell she spoke nothing. In answer to a 
species of exorcism by Simpson, who inquired whether 
she was from heaven or hell, she answered that she was 
from above, where she was employed with the angels, 
singing glory to the Lamb, and that she was in happi- 
ness, with the Lord. One having asked after his father 
who lived two hundred miles off, and the means of com- 
munication few and difficult, she answered that he was 
in heaven, singing the praises of the Lamb, with the 
angels. About a fortnight afterwards, the fact of his 
death was certified to have happened a few days previous 
to the announcement by the ghost. 

These,, gentlemen, are the facts as related, and well- 
16* 



186 

authenticated as any in the Bible, I believe, and so do all 
who lived at Sullivan then, and perhaps now. It is not 
more than fifty or sixty miles off, and may easily be vis- 
ited to satisfy yourselves. 

Mr. Cummings, it appears, was somewhat disposed to 
incredulity and was not there at the time of Nelly's usual 
visits. We may imagine that a man in his situation, who 
had written some very learned books, one on the second 
advent of our Lord, which Mr. Miller of New York, has 
lately announced is to happen in 1843. but which at that 
time, about 1800, was thought little of, and one on the 
Cherubim, which was full of Hebrew and Greek, — such 
a man would naturally be anxious to have full convic- 
tion by his senses, and no doubt made it the subject of 
his earnest prayers. In 1806, he was so favored. Nelly 
did appear to him in 1806, but he neglected to speak, 
therefore she did not. The appearance was unquestion- 
able, in the open day. She was announced by a work- 
man, when only in the form of a very small white cloud 
which advanced to within a few paces of where he, 
Cummings, stood watching her, and there the cloud de- 
veloped into the woman's form and size. It seems that 
Mr. Cumming's doubts were all then removed, but the 
time of his collecting the evidence on oath, was not un- 
til 1818 or 1820. His book was published in 1822, but 
whether the copy I have is of the first or some later 
edition, 1 know not. 

This is a summary of all I know about it : I knew Mr. 
Cummings well, and an uncle of mine, of a very repu- 
table character, now alive, one Samuel Ingoll, was one 
of the sworn witnesses : he has often spoken of it, and so 
you may now dispute about, or discuss it, as you like, but 
I have no doubts whatever on my mind, of the facts 
which I have mentioned. 

Hermit. Many thanks, my good neighbor; you have 
told me the story so well that you have hardly left us a 
word to say on it. Will you take any thing else ? your 
sleigh will be here in a minute or two. We have kept 
you past your time, but I trust your wife will not be 
uneasy. 

Freeborn. Oh no, Hermit, she know3 you, and 
knows 1 am here. Well gentlemen, I wish you good 
night; hope to be better acquainted with you yet, before 
spring comes. 

All. Good night, Mr. Freeborn, hope you will come 
again soon 



187 



SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 



Theophilus, Rusticus, Academicus, and the Hermit, as 

usual. 

Hermit. Freeborn's story of Nelly's ghost, filled up 
our time well last night, and now we are on the subject 
of apparitions from the spiritual world, I may as well 
carry it on by a little story of Freeborn himself, to the 
purpose. 

When he was a younger man, for he is now little more 
than fifty years old, he was a free-thinking infidel. He 
thought himself clever and wise : he was, and is, a very 
sober man, and industrious, and his worldly affairs have 
thriven beyond his hopes ; he is therefore well to do. 

One morning, about eleven o'clock, he set out to go to 
/the sea- side, where he had some business. His nearest 
neighbor on the road was about two miles off. When 
near his neighbor's place, and before he had issued from 
a path in the wood, he saw his neighbor, whose name I 
know not, walking towards his own house, from the op* 
poside direction, open the door, enter, and shut it after 
.him. His family were all women. 

Freeborn passed on to the sea-side, about two miles 
farther, saw a fishing boat row to the shore, and the first 
man who landed was his said neighbor. Astonished, he 
said nothing ; but in two hours, as he passed on his way 
homeward, he called into his neighbor's house, and asked 
his wife and mother, who had called there at eleven 
o'clock? Both women assured him that no man had en- 
tered the house since the husband left it, the day before,, 
and they supposed he had been out fishing all night, as 
was the fact. Freeborn says he never told this story to 
any one but myself, and that he would have sworn to 
the identity of the man, and the fact of having seen him 
«nter his house, without hesitation ; and that he knew him 
as well as he ever knew any man. Now the use he made 
of the phenomenon appears to me to have been a correct 
one ; he began to think more seriously of religion, he 
found nothing was impossible with God, and he began 
to doubt, that he himself was neither so wise nor clever 
as he had fancied, for he was sure of the truth of his vis- 
ion, and yet the fact was much more beyond the compre- 
hension of his reason, in every way, than any thing in the 
Bible, and from that time he has become a deep thinking 
.man, has studied his Bible., and is very religions., but is 



188 

unfortunately for his earthly comfort, not generally be* 
lieved to be so. 

Of the various apparitions, ghosts, goblins, dreams, 
visions, and other modes of communication from the 
spiritual world, with this physical atom, or the beings 
upon its surface, I need not speak ; these examples are 
from our present neighborhood, and need no reflections 
other than passed on their recital. I shall now proceed 
with some of Joanna's communications, which have all 
the external marks of true revelations from our Lord 
himself, but first will support the probability of Freeborn's 
own story, by relating one of many experienced in the 
life of Elias Carpenter. 

Before his attachment to Joanna, whom, because of the 
prejudice of the hierarchy against her name and mission, 
he sometimes in his writings, which are few, calls 
Noadiah ; and if her spiritual communications were to be 
republished, I am now inclined to adopt this assumed 
name, with the others of Thomas, for Thomas Dowling, 
or Dowland, favored with many dreams, visions, and 
messages from the spiritual world in his ear ; deaf to 
human voiee. Joseph for the name of Henry Prescot, a 
lad taken from the workhouse, endowed with an extra- 
ordinary sense of spiritual sight and hearing, with a tact 
for drawing, a gift also, by which he was directed often 
to draw representations of his own vision, which were 
supernatu rally repeated for the purpose. His name was 
changed to Joseph in Obedience to angelic message. 
Elias' name was changed to Ezekiel, and he assumed E. 
P. G., as the initials of Ezekiel, Paul, Gabriel, whose 
offices, he presumed, he was ordained to enact as the 
minister of the house of God, in Amelia-street, Wal- 
worth. James was also the prophetic name of Joseph 
Foss Dession, a master in the navy, and an elder or wit- 
ness in the said church, and now its minister. 

Before his (Elias') attachment to Joanna's cause, as 
divinely commissioned by our Lord, of which he had full 
conviction and assurance, by spiritual communications, 
through Thomas and Joseph, addressed to himself, he 
had been sincerely attached to the church at Lambeth or 
Bermondsey. The curate was his particular friend, but 
mad, at the presumption of Noadiah for supposing her- 
self a prophetess, and with Ezekiel for his folly in believ- 
ing her, he vented his spleen in some profane blasphe- 
mies, and some violences. One evening, on his return 
home from a party, he knocked at his own door : when 
the maid opened it, he saw his own figure, or a spiritual 



139 

likeness of himself, seeming in body, walk into the house 
and proceed up stairs : he asked the servant who that 
was that passed her and went up stairs ; she insisted 
that no person had entered but himself. He followed 
his shade, and never came down stairs again alive,but died 
within a few days. Whether this circumstance were au- 
thenticated by any tangible evidence I know not ; it is 
related by Ezekiel, and he appears to have been by no 
means a man afflicted by simple credulity, but a strictly 
true man. 

Now my friends, you may decide how much of these 
circumstances that we have had before us, as being sup- 
posed to result from the operations of the holy almighty 
Spirit of our gracious Lord, so far as the}' may affect our 
faith and works, — how far, 1 say, they may result from 
true religion, or from superstition. I think I set out by 
defining my mark for discrimination : whatever is indeed 
true, the results, duly and truly^ from it must be true in 
all things ; in spiritual things, this is true religion ; su- 
perstition, on the contrary, is always founded in false- 
hood, or from false conclusions, or deductions from facts 
that may or may not be true in themselves. 

The fact of Samuel receiving communications in his 
ear, and by some internal mode, as 1 Sam. ix. 10, no 
man doubts; and our religion is foundedon similar facts, 
as to the prophets and apostles, and primitive christians. 
We believe this true, and our religion is founded on it. 
JNoadiah, lady Jane Lead, Jonah, or Brothers, Thomas, 
Joseph, and various others, have shown abundant proofs 
that they have had similar communications from the 
same Holy Spirit. Our parsons and many others, choose 
to say, they do not and will not believe it, and it is by 
most men called superstition. We are the subjects of 
an irrational sort of logomachy, or arbitrary use and mis- 
use and abuse of words, as has been shown of the word 
person, which we have borrowed from another language, 
and have by abuse changed its original meaning, al- 
though we retain it in many of its derivatives ; as the 
word personification, for example, its meaning is seldom 
mistaken, and so of the metaphors and other personifica- 
tions used in scripture, some of which have been dis- 
cussed. 

1 do not think we need say more on spiritual gifts. 
But as Noadiah affirms and has given evidence that she 
had the gifts of the Holy Spirit, by spiritual communica- 
tions, which she was commanded to write, I propose that 
Rusticu8 read us one of her Essays in explanation of the 



190 

Bible, and Theophilus, Academicus, and myself, remark 
on them as we proceed. They are all, that is, her Bible 
readings, as commented on and explained by the Holy 
Spirit, very instructive and interesting, and as I have 
said, quite shame our bishops and priests, whose worldly 
wisdom and spirit fall so far short. 

RusTicus. I will perform the part you have assigned 
me gladly, for I confess you have raised my curiosity, 
and created a strong desire in me to see some of that ex- 
traordinary woman's productions. 

Academicus, and Theophilus and self will as gladly, for 
the same reason, profit by the license given us ; however, 
Hermit, 1 have a question to propose before we begin 
with Noadiah. To-morrow will be Christmas-eve Is 
that really the anniversary of the birth of the Saviour of 
the world, or rather of his human birth? The world, or 
rather Christendom, takes it for granted, but we have no 
accounts of it in the scriptures, or in the Fathers, that I re- 
member : it wants one of Leslie's marks, which would 
have rendered the authenticity of the fact unquestion- 
able as to the time, if the feast by which it is commem- 
orated had been appointed and kept within his own life- 
time ; but that seems decidedly not to have been the case. 
The season, 1 think, invites us to consider this subject, 
although it does not now appear that the precise date 
does involve any other material circumstance of our faith 
and doctrine. 1 fee\ curious to know whether the birth 
of the " desire of all nations," was not marked by some 
marvellous coincidences in time, as well as place, inter- 
esting to the whole world as well as to the Jews. 

Hermit. It is indeed a question that cannot fail, I 
should think, to be most interesting to any man who is a 
christian, who really loves the Lord, who has conde- 
scended, not only as he is our natural father by creation, 
but as our spiritual father, to adopt us as his own pecu- 
liar children, by love, and his own most Holy Spirit, and 
thus regenerating us, or begetting us to eternal life, and 
to the inheritance which he has provided for his own 
children, who really do love, honor, and obey him with 
true filial affection and reverence. Even on this eaith, 
when he shall have put out from it all evil, and the au- 
thor of it, and have restored it to the same state of purity 
and holiness, as it was when first put out of his hands at 
the creation, when God said that it was very good ; 
when by his Holy Spirit he shall have perfected the 
moral creation, within the six thousand years typified by 
the six days of the physical creation, then will he re- 



191 

move the curse, with Satan and sin ; then, my friends, 
shall we behold him as he is now, in the glorious majes- 
ty of the eternal Almighty, and with his every name. 
Who can contemplate these blessed and glorious prom- 
ises without being deeply interested in every circum- 
stance of the life, in human flesh, as the Father, the 
Brother, the Friend, the Saviour, the Redeemer, and the 
Almighty God of this our Lord Jesus Christ? 

I do not know what has occurred on this subject in 
the early days of Christianity, but in these latter times, 
one Mr. Kennedy, and after him a Mr. F. Penrose, of 
Plymouth, a gentleman, have undertaken to fix the 
chronology of the world by two unerring principles, — the 
word of God in the scriptures, and the known periods of 
the motions of the heavenly bodies. 

Their rules are most simple, and their modes of calcula- 
tion quite within the ability of any one who has been in- 
structed in the four fundamental operations of arithmetic. 
Having thus introduced my authorities, I think, Academ- 
icus, you will rather use them than trust to my mem- 
ory. I will thank you to take a candle, step into the li- 
brary, and you will find an octavo volume, labelled Pen- 
rose's Philosophy and Astronomy; be good enough to 
bring it here, and I will point out where you may read 
what he has said on this very subject, for our instruction. 
Academicus having procured the book, Hermit pointed 
out the place : he read as follows, beginning at page 40. 

" After the Exodus of the Israelites from their bond- 
age in Egypt, they kept their feast of Tabernacles and 
In-gathering, according to Moses' direction, on the fif- 
teenth day of the seventh month, (Leviticus xxiii. 39,) 
as they do to this day." 

" It is worthy of observation, says Mr. Kennedy, that 
when the Jews celebrate the feast of the tabernacle as 
above directed, in remembrance of the creation of the 
world, which they never fail to do at the appointed sea- 
son, they celebrate at the same time not only the birth- 
day of the world, but of the promised Messiah too, who 
was born on the first day of the feast of the tabernacles, 
and circumcised on the eighth or great day of the same." 

Hermit. My friend Academicus, I would observe 
here, on this great day of the feast, it must not be con- 
founded with the great day of atonement, on the tenth 
day of the same month, for that was the great feast. 
There is in these speculations a wonderful field opened 
for research; for such an indulgence we shall not, I fear, 



192 

find sufficient leisure. I have interrupted you, to say f 
that I do not quite deliver myself into Mr. Kennedy's 
hands without reserve, but in truth his hypothesis is 
beautiful, and the coincidences he notices are wonder- 
ful. Thus he has by scripture data only, found the pre- 
cise times of most of the remarkable events recorded, of 
the creation, the flood, the birth of John Baptist, of 
Jesus Christ, his death, &c. &c. It is really a very im- 
portant book, that of Mr. Kennedy : but pray proceed 
with Penrose, Academicus continues to read : " But as 
this season of the year i9 contrary to the received opin- 
ion, when Christ was born, I shall endeavor to find the 
real and true season when that happened. In order to 
do this, let us examine the scriptures ; for when this is 
done carefully, with a good intention, and aided by the 
Holy Spirit, we often find they contain more than we ex- 
pected." (i It is generally agreed that the ceremonies 
and works of the law were typical of those things which 
were fulfilled in the gospel, both testaments being coun- 
terparts to each other, as our Saviour told the Jews.' 
M Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have 
eternal life ; they are which testify of me ; if ye had be- 
lieved Moses, ye would have believed me ; for he wrote 
of me." " That the temple typified the body of Christ, 
we are certain; for our Lord himself told us so. The 
feast of dedication of Solomon's temple, was kept on the 
feast of the tabernacles in the seventh month, and on the 
eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for its dedica- 
tion. If this was a type of Christ, no doubt it was ful- 
filled in its antitype." St. Luke tells us, " That in the 
days of Herod the king of Judea, that a certain priest, 
named Zecharias. of the Course of Abia: and it came to 
pass tjiat assor.n as the days of his ministration were ac- 
complished, that he departed to his own house, and that 
after those days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid 
herself five months. And in the sixth month, the angel 
Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin, and said unto her, 
Behold ! thy cousin Elizabeth, she has also conceived a 
son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her." 
In order to know the season of the year when this 
happened, Luke tells us that it was directly after Zecha- 
rias' days of ministration were accomplished, and that 
Zecharias was of the Course of Abia. And in Chroni- 
cles we are informed that Abia belonged to the eighth 
course. Now the priests began these courses of minis- 
tration after the sabbath was over which followed the 



193 

Passover, that is, our Easter Sunday. During the week 
of Passover, all the courses of the priests ministered to- 
gether. That the beginning of the fifty days between 
the feast of Passover and the feast of Weeks, or Pente- 
cost, was to commence on the morrow after the Sabbath 
(Easter Sunday,) when the wave sheaf was offered, so* 
that the first course were to begin their ministration on 
the second sabbath after the Passover, (or first Sunday 
after Easter ;) hence the course of Abia did not come on 
until the week after Pentecost, and the end of his minis- 
tration was twelve weeks after Passover-day, for the 
conception of Elizabeth, and his birth must have been 
about the time of the Passover in the succeeding year, 
and our Lord's birth six months' later, or at the feast of 
the tabernacles, or about the fifteenth day of the seventh 
month. So that John Baptist was born on, or about, 
the Passover-day, or fifteenth of the first month, and our 
.Lord, on or about the fifteenth day of the seventh month- 

Here follows some calculations to prove that our Sa- 
viour was born on the first day of the feast of the taber- 
nacles, in the twenty-sixth year of Augustus, on a Sun- 
day, answering to the first sabbath after the creation, in 
the year of the world 4005. 

Hermit. If we were very fastidious, we might ques- 
tion the precise days of the birth of both John and Jesus. 
But assuming the analogies of God's providence with 
scriptural chronology and the scriptural calendar, the co- 
incidences here assumed do seem to me fair, reasonable,, 
and according to the analogy of faith. 
t I think, Academicus, what you have read will satisfy 
you, and we have a custom in commemorating the birth 
of the Saviour, which marks the epoch by more decided 
testimony than the calculations, viz., all Christendom, 
dresses the houses and churches with boughs and branch- 
es (we with evergreens) on that day, which is direct 
evidence that that event happened at the feast of the 
tabernacles. 

It is rather curious that christians have no feast cor- 
responding to this great feast of the Jews, and indeed of 
the gentiles, for I believe this was a feast kept by all 
nations as commemorative of the creation, but this feast 
has slipped to our Christmas, three months later Pen- 
rose has well accounted for this. But we may, I think, 
offer a suggestion on it, as a time which the prophecies 
predict as to be the great feast in the glorious dispensa- 
tion, we look for under our Lord's own personal reign 



194 

on earth, when sin and Satan shall have no place there. 
If the camp meeting revivals, so notorious in the United 
States, were fixed for that time of the year, to embrace 
the whole period of the feast trumpels and of tabernacles, 
it might become a very interesting time. I but start 
this suggestion for the consideration of our future leis- 
ure, and for such of our friends who are in the ministry, 
who are attached to the system of revivalism. 

These conversations, my friends, were commenced 
rather as an introduction to the subject in better form 
and order, and you, my friends, Academicus and Rusti- 
cus, have been so kind as to keep your notes of the ob- 
servations which we have severally made, and as these 
notes have now swelled to the size of a good pamphlet, 
I propose that Academicus shall revise them, and let 
them pass through the press. It may awaken better 
wits 

Our second course of conversation, 1 propose begin- 
ning immediately, and to apply to the near approach of 
the second coming of our Lord, in the glorious majesty 
of the Eternal Almighty. 

Theophilus. We are all too much obliged to you, 
my good friend Hermit, for giving a sort of consistency 
to conversations that would otherwise have evaporated 
into empty air. I can only offer my best aid, to fulfill 
your suggestion as to the past conversations, and to pre- 
pare for those you are good enough to engage us for on 
the expected second advent of our Lord. 

END OF THE SIXTEENTH CONVERSATION. 



Academicus. If it be the Lord's will that I be enab- 
led to continue' an account of these conversations, and 
the public will take such an interest in them as may pay 
for the printing, I hereby engage myself to undertake 
the task of their collection. 

Academicus. 



ERRATA. 



Page 5, 14th line from the bottom, dele the last comma in the line. 

7th line from the bottom, dele the first two commas. 
Page 8, 27th line from the top, insert as after is. 
Page 9, 9th line from the bottom, for is read in. 

11th line from the bottom, after avert insert them. 
12th line from the bottom, dele against. 
14th line from the bottom, for evils read wiles. 
22d line from the bottom, for same read sane. 
Page 10, 3d line from the top, for citadas read ciladas. 
Page 16, 15th line from the top, insert of after many. 
Page 2o, 8th line from the top, for masturbation read mastipalion. 
Page 27, 7th line from the bottom, for exceed read excel. 
Page 28, 3d line from the bottom, before the word in insert a comma 
or the word and. 

Page 28, 9th line from the bottom, for venial read venal. 
Page 30, 24th line from the top, for vices read vice. 
Page 33, 23d line from the top, insert the after of. 
Page 35, 5th line from the bottom, for one read our. 
Page 36, 12th line from the bottom, read seems to us essential to per- 
son, viz. a body. 

Page 37, 6th line from the bottom, after the word Trinity subjoin as 
follows : announced, and its operations in the creation in all its three 
characters, in these three verses, besides announcing the existence of 
evil, by its symbol, darkness. 

Page 41, 17th line from the top, after Jacob insert the word who. 
Page 44, 2d line from the t6p, for assures read assure. 
Page 49, 8th line from the bottom, for alliance read counsellor, friend, 
ally, partner or spouse. 

Page 50, 15th line from the top, for on read in. 

16th" line from the top, for exercises read exercise. 
25th line from the top, after ground suppress the period. 
26th line from the top, after later make the period a colon. 
Page 58, 13th line from the top, erase Acadcmicus. (It is Theophi- 
lus who speaks, but addressing Academicus in particular.) 

Page 67, Uth line from the top, insert it before the word seems. 
Page 81, 9th line from the top, for man read mean. 
Page 83, 4th line from the bottom, for Agalus read Agahus. 
Page 85, 6th line from the top, for corinthian read cerinthian. 

28th line from the top, for Bochman read Behman. 
Page 92, 13th line from the bottom, for Acts II. read Acts I. 
Page 95, 20th line from the bottom, for promised read premised. 
Page 109, 4th line from the top, after recorded insert comma. 
5th line from the top, after testaments insert comma. 
6th line from the top, after ordinances insert comma. 
14th line from the top, after else insert semicolon — after 
Cornelius erase the comma. 
Page 111, 20th line from the top, insert if before then. 
Page 116, 6th line from the "bottom, for presumptuous men read pre- 
sumption of the men. 



IRRiTA. 

Page 124, 12th line from the top, insert and after opening. 

Page 125, 26th line from the top, for signification read significative. 

Page 134, 10th line from the bottom, for them read you. 

Page 137, 24th line from the bottom, for It is read Is it. 

21st line from the bottom, for semicolon put interrogation. 

Page 138, 3d line from the bottom, for imitated read united. 

Page 140, 11th line from the top, at the end of the line insert •period. 
12th line from the top, after itself expunge period. 

Page 141, 13th line from the top, after Lord expunge semicolon. 

13th line from the top, after them for comma put semicolon. 
15th line from the top, for our Lord read one Lord. 

Page 144, 9th line from the top, for word read words. 

Page 148, 2d and 3d line from the bottom, for prom-ed read promised. 

Page 150, 14th line from the top, for satan read Satan. 

Page 151, 6th line from the top, for there read their — for acknowledge 
read acknowledged. 

Page J 51, 11th line from the top, insert comma after education. 
12th line from the top, insert comma after knowledge. 

Page 154, bottom line, insert comma after I AM. 

Page 159, 1st line from the bottom, for an read in. 

Page 163, 20th line from the top, add a note. Brothers recovered 
his reason, after he was liberated, and deeply deplored his errors ; but still 
affirmed his prophetic mission in the character of Jonah, to warn the Brit- 
ish Nation of the approach of our Lord in his second Advent Glory. 

Page 165, 18th line from the top, insert semicolon after hypocrites. 

Page 168, 22d line from the top, for more read mere. 

Page 170, 21st line from the top, erase the word in and insert comma 
before doggrel. 

Page 175, 5th line from the top, for Mackinser read Neckinger* 

Page 176, 6th line from the top, for two or three read seven, 
10th line from the bottom, for of read at. 






mmSHSf. 0F CONGRESS 




• 



019 971 769 8 



Oh ! List ;n to 

And to His i udi <;r«e . 

ake !. await ' ! 'tis God in\ 
'! - von must see- 



Return to ,■ i Tended Gou, 

His pardon a t erave 

Both Jews and !< < !od d clpres. 



44 Forgiven* 



1 hav 



Then supplicate 3 • niy'i", 

Nor let him call in vaii'j 
His heav'nly kingdom coming down, 

He '11 Paradise regain. 

Then all ill :i ; My God and King, 

" J' n y goodnes * who 
44 Oh, r * ou, deslA >i i n , 

44 .^nd trove rn nil below. 



" Thy kingdom come — Thy will be done, 

"An earth resemble heaven j 
"Oh, n b Thy Spirit fe '.. 

" .' .-'ry sin tf n n 



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